Hey - it’s Tom.

Welcome to this week’s Tactical Tuesday edition of Ctrl+Shift, where we give you quick, no-bullshit tactics to overcome real business challenges.

Est. time to implement: 15 minutes.

The 5-Point Handoff Checklist

Is your delivery team constantly surprised by what sales promised? Does a new client's first call start with, "Well, that's not what the salesperson told me?" This painful gap erodes trust before you've even begun.

This 15-minute exercise instantly standardises the critical information passed between teams by creating a mandatory, 5-point checklist for every new client won.

A note from Tom: I once sat in on a kickoff call for a huge new client. The salesperson had done a masterful job closing the deal. But five minutes into the call, the client mentioned a specific feature they were promised that was crucial for their decision. I watched the colour drain from my Project Manager's face—he was hearing about this "crucial feature" for the very first time. The trust in that room evaporated instantly. We spent the next month on the back foot, trying to rescue a relationship that our own broken process had damaged from day one.

Step 1: Run the 15-Minute "Handoff Huddle"

Schedule a single 15-minute meeting with your sales lead and your delivery/operations lead. The only goal is to answer one question: "What are the 5 non-negotiable pieces of information we need to pass from sales to delivery to guarantee a smooth start for every new client?"

Use these prompts to guide the conversation:

• What is the client's single most important goal (their "must-have" outcome)?

• What specific promises or timelines were made during the final sales process?

• Who is the primary day-to-day contact? Who is the technical contact?

• Are there any potential "red flags" or personality quirks to be aware of?

• What was the one thing that almost made them not sign up?

Step 2: Build the Mandatory Checklist

Immediately after the meeting, create a simple checklist with the 5 points you defined. This does not need to be complicated. You can build it in:

• A shared Google Doc or Notion page template.

• Custom fields in your CRM that must be filled out to close a deal.

• A dedicated Slack channel where the checklist is posted for each new client.

Step 3: Make It Non-Negotiable

This is the most important step. Make this checklist a required part of your official "deal won" process. A client is not considered "handed over" and a project cannot be kicked off until the checklist is fully completed and shared with the delivery team. This ensures 100% adoption and eliminates excuses.

That’s it for this edition, see you on Freedom Friday!

Cheers,

Tom

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