The network for creativity
Join 1.25M professional creatives like you
Connect with clients, get discovered, and run your business 100% commission-free
Creatives on Contra have earned over $150M and we are just getting started
Back to feedPost
Stop treating client intake like a gate. Start treating it like a filter.
Most firms use questionnaires to "screen people out." This creates friction. At Obsidian Success, we use a Lean approach to intake.
The goal isn't gatekeeping—it’s mutual clarity.
Our process:
Eliminates Waste: Identifies misalignment early.
Creates Flow: Moves from symptoms to root causes.
Builds Trust: Values "fit" over "revenue."
We don’t ask questions to see if you're "worthy." We ask because if we can’t help you win, we won’t waste your time.
Lean isn’t just for assembly lines—it’s for relationships.
When you design for alignment instead of approval, you stop clearing hurdles and start building foundations.
Is your intake process a barrier or an invitation?
The network for creativity
Join 1.25M professional creatives like you
Connect with clients, get discovered, and run your business 100% commission-free
Creatives on Contra have earned over $150M and we are just getting started
Related posts
When you read a studio's case study, ours included, try sorting each claim into four groups: what they delivered, what it's meant to do, what the client said, and what got measured.
Only the measured claims are results, so those are the ones to look for.
Just signed off on a project @Contra
Client reached out from Behance (which is wild, I know), looking for a B2B landing page for fintech / POS (point-of-sale) software company.
Hopped on a discovery call right away and discussed a few key things, and the client knew immediately I was the right person for the job.
What's crazy is that I also offered motion design services, and he said, "Yes, please!"
Great clients don’t haggle.
They know what they want and move fast.
Excited to get started!
Love that a client found you on Behance and it turned into a B2B fintech landing page. Jumping on a discovery call right away probably made all the difference.
Thousands of searches. Almost no clients.
That's where Richard Reid's website was when we started working together. Richard is a psychology-led leadership coach for founders, CEOs and senior leaders, and his site was ranking. Just not for the right people.
When I sorted every search the site appeared for by intent, 60% were people researching psychology topics. Only 5% were people actually shopping for a coach.
So instead of chasing more traffic, I rebuilt the strategy around that 5%:
Mapped the private pressures each of his three audiences carries, from the 3am thought to what they're really buying
Separated his two sites so they stopped competing for the same searches
Restructured the service hubs
Rewrote the homepage and about page to lead with who he helps and what he solves, with one clear route to a consultation
The old homepage said "Elevate Your Leadership with Richard Reid". The new one tells a founder or C-suite leader, in the first line, that this is for them.
Both pages are live. Full case study on my profile.
If your site gets traffic but not enquiries, the fix usually isn't more traffic. It's knowing which visitors matter and writing for them.
Are open to take on new projects?