Management Guide
Keeping promises at scale: the timelines we commit to, how we talk to clients at every stage, and what to do when something goes sideways.
Roles and who owns what
| Role | Owns | Is the only one who may… |
|---|---|---|
| Seller | The relationship until handoff; add-on conversations at delivery | Quote prices, promise dates (from the SLA table, never invented) |
| Production manager | The pipeline: schedules, stage gates, QA sign-off | Declare a site ready for client review or launch |
| Designer / developer | The build meeting the standards, flagging blockers early | Request scope clarification (through the PM, in writing) |
| Owners (the co-founders) | Pricing, positioning, exceptions, refunds, strategy | Approve discounts, refunds, out-of-policy promises, firing a client |
Every project has exactly one person the client emails. Clients with two contacts play them against each other; clients with none churn. The seller hands the baton to the PM at kickoff, visibly, in the kickoff email.
Timelines & SLAs (what we may promise)
| Commitment | SLA | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Quote after qualification call | 24 hours | Public promise on the website. Never miss it; a late quote kills trust before the project starts. |
| Starter build (up to 3 pages) | 5–8 business days | From assets-in-hand, not from signature. |
| Growth build (up to 7 pages) | 10–15 business days | Includes booking/lead-capture wiring. |
| Premium build | 2–4 weeks, quoted per scope | PM sets the date at kickoff after scoping. |
| Client emails (business hours) | Same day | Even if the answer is "looking into it, reply tomorrow". |
| Care-plan fix (site down / broken) | 4 business hours to respond | Down sites jump every queue. |
| Care-plan routine edits | 2 business days | Monthly content edits batch on a set day. |
| Revision round during review | 2–3 business days | One consolidated batch per round. |
The delay rule: the moment a date is at risk, the client hears it from us with a new date and a reason. A client who learns about a delay from the calendar instead of from you is a client writing a bad review in their head.
Client communication
The cadence (minimum touchpoints per build)
Copy-paste templates
"Hi [name], deposit received, and we're officially building. Here's the plan so you always know where things stand:
What we're building: [package, pages, vibe]. Your preview date: [date]. Launch target: [date].
What we need from you by [date]: [logo / photos / business details]. That's the only homework you'll get.
Your contact for everything from here is [PM name] (this email). Talk soon."
"Quick update, no action needed: [site] is in the design/build stage and on schedule for your preview on [date]. Sneak peek attached. More soon."
"Hi [name], your website is ready to see: [preview link]
Two favors: open it on your phone first (that's where most of your customers will be), and collect all your feedback in one reply if you can. We'll fold in your changes and confirm launch for [date]."
"[domain.com] is LIVE. Go look at it, then send it to someone.
What's already done for you: Google has been notified (Search Console + sitemap), SSL is active, analytics are running, and your contact form has been test-fired.
One question while everything's fresh: want us to keep it fast, secure, and updated for you each month? That's the Care Plan, $99/mo. If yes, you never think about this website again except to answer the leads."
"One week live. Quick numbers from your analytics: [visitors] visitors, [leads] form submissions/calls. [One-line observation.]
Anything you'd like adjusted now that it's had real traffic? And if you're happy with how this went: who do you know with a business that needs this? An intro is the best thank-you we can get."
Tone rules for every client message
- Plain language, zero jargon; where a technical term is unavoidable, translate it in the same sentence.
- Lead with the thing they care about (date, link, cost), then details.
- Never blame tools or teammates in front of a client. "We hit a snag, here's the new date" is complete.
- Everything that changes money or dates goes in writing, same day.
- No emojis, in any client channel, including chat.
Escalation: when things go sideways
| Situation | First move | Escalate to owners when… |
|---|---|---|
| Project slipping >2 days | PM re-plans, informs client with new date + reason before the old date passes | Slip exceeds a week, or it's the second slip on the same project |
| Scope creep | PM logs the request, replies "great idea, here's the quote", keeps building the agreed scope | Client insists the extra work was "included"; disagreement about the written scope |
| Unhappy client at review | Listen fully, restate their concerns in writing, propose one concrete revision plan with a date | Second failed review round, refund language, or public-review threats |
| Non-payment of final 50% | Polite reminder at +3 days with the invoice attached; site stays on preview URL until paid | +14 days silent, or client disputes the deliverable itself |
| Site down (care client) | Acknowledge within 4 business hours, all hands until restored, post-mortem note to client after | Down >24h, data loss, or a security breach (owners immediately, before the client reply) |
| Abusive client | Stay professional, move everything to writing, do not match tone | Immediately. Only owners may fire a client, and they will. |
We would rather fix a site twice than argue once. If a client is genuinely unhappy after two honest revision rounds, owners decide between one more round, partial refund, or full refund and part ways. Sellers and PMs never promise refunds themselves; they promise "I'll get you an answer today" and escalate.
Weekly operating rhythm
- Monday: pipeline review. Every active project has a stage, an owner, and a next date. Anything without all three gets one before noon.
- Wednesday: lead follow-ups due. Every quote older than 7 days gets its scheduled touch.
- Friday: ship-and-tell. What launched, what slipped and why, care-plan queue for next week. Plus the SEO system's weekly report (reports land in F:\llamamakers-seo\reports).
- Monthly: care-plan batch day (all routine client edits), invoice sweep, KPI snapshot into the Owners' dashboard.