What are Periodic Reviews?
Periodic reviews are structured meetings with your client, set at a regular cadence, to assess the client success plan, establish KPIs, and gather performance feedback. This forum is designed for open, collaborative conversations, intentionally avoiding topics like scope and price, which can introduce barriers to honest discussion.
These meetings are typically conducted annually but can be adjusted based on the client’s needs. Before the meeting, send a detailed agenda to the client, inviting them to add any discussion points. For the first review, explain that the focus will be solely on assessing objectives, feedback, and performance, with scope and price discussions reserved for separate meetings. We call this establishing a ‘conversational domain’ whereby topic and scope are a domain outside of the scope of this conversation. If necessary, let them know why you wish to reserve a separate time for those two topics.
Purpose
Discussing scope and price in a feedback-focused meeting can shift the client’s and team member’s attention and wind up taking over the majority of the time in the meeting. We want to limit this as a possibility so we can have an open conversations about performance and goals. By separating these topics, you create a space for genuine feedback, where the client can openly share their experience with your team’s performance. This feedback is essential for assessing the relationship’s health and ensuring alignment on goals for the upcoming period. By fostering a foundation of transparency and trust, you lay the groundwork for a long-term, successful partnership.
Think about a time when you knew money was coming into the discussion at some point. Did this one thing creep into your thoughts throughout the rest of the conversation? The same can happen for your client or your team member. We want to take that out of the equation.
Key Elements of Periodic Reviews
1. Safe Environment
Create a scope- and price-free zone to foster open feedback, discussing these topics only if the client requests an expansion of services. Then you can discuss as it pertains to the new objectives and KPIs.
2. Pre-Meeting Agenda to Set Intentions
Send a pre-meeting agenda at least one week in advance, letting the client know that scope and price are excluded to focus on feedback and goals. Offer a separate meeting to address these topics if needed.
3. Structured Feedback Request
Include a specific agenda item for the client to provide feedback on your team’s performance. Use this time to ask how you’re doing and to practice actively listening to the response. Gain clarity through targeted, discovery-focused questions that drive further understanding.
4. Purposeful Questions
Once feedback is shared, go further by asking purposeful, clarifying questions. Don’t just stop at surface-level responses; the additional responses may reveal underlying needs or issues with a significant impact.
5. Co-Created Agreements and Outcomes
End the meeting with co-created agreements around KPIs and deliverables for the next period, clarifying expectations and desired outcomes. Additionally, provide a timeline for a response or a specific outcome in response to any feedback provided that needs a correction action taken on your part.
6. Emailed Summary
After the meeting, send a summary email with bullet-pointed to-dos for both parties, ensuring clarity and follow-through on agreed actions.
7. Written Documentation
Record the meeting and update your Client Success Plan (CSP) based on the outcomes. Send the updated CSP to the client for review, ensuring alignment within your team and with the client.
What Happens if Scope or Price Comes Up
If scope or price is mentioned despite the prior agreement, gently remind the client of the meeting’s purpose and suggest scheduling a separate conversation for these items. Emphasize that scope and price discussions tend to dominate meetings, limiting the time for valuable feedback and alignment. If the client is enthusiastic about expanding services, keep the conversation focused on KPIs relevant to the expansion, reserving a more detailed scope and pricing discussions for a later time or a follow up email.
Financial Focus and Key Metrics
This meeting is an opportunity to build client trust and deepen the relationship. By aligning on client-led objectives, you’re setting the stage for improved client lifetime value (LTV) and creating client advocates. These items can increase your gross margin and revenue and reduce your overall operating costs.
Beyond the Numbers
This meeting is about listening, understanding, and addressing the client’s experience. When clients feel heard and see that there’s dedicated time for discussing their goals, it builds trust and strengthens the relationship. Over time, clients will anticipate this open space, knowing they can provide feedback and help shape the partnership’s future—a powerful factor in long-term retention and relationship-building.