The intake form

Client Questionnaire

The same ten questions JCW sends every new client. Long-form, no rush. The answers feed the strategy and shape the voice for everything that follows.

Why this exists

Most agencies skip this part

Most agencies start with a "discovery call" and a slide deck. We start with ten written questions and a couple of hours of your time, on your schedule. The point isn't a transcript — the point is to find the voice already there. The voice in your answers becomes the voice in your blog, your social, your newsletter. We're not inventing a brand persona; we're finding yours.

The questionnaire below is the actual form Pioneer Carpentry's Tom Reeves filled out in his first session. His answers live in Tab 02 of the workbook if you want to see what real responses to these questions look like.

01

Tell me about your business in your own words. What do you want it to be known for?

In your voice, not a marketing voice. Long-form is fine. Think out loud.

02

Who's the customer you wish you had more of?

Specifics help. Age, budget, life stage, the project they bring to you. Real people, not personas.

03

What do customers say about you when they're recommending you to a friend?

Quote them if you can remember. The exact phrases matter.

04

What do you NOT want to be?

The anti-version. Naming it sharpens the rest.

05

What's the marketing you've done so far that worked?

"Worked" means brought in the right kind of customers, not just any.

06

What's the marketing you've tried that didn't work?

Be honest. Knowing what flopped is as useful as knowing what landed.

07

What stops customers from buying?

Price, timeline, awareness, fit, fear — whichever is real for you.

08

What can you tell me a story about, off the cuff, for 10 minutes?

This is where the content pillars come from. The topics you can talk about without a script are the topics that should run weekly.

09

What makes you different from other businesses in your line of work?

Not a slogan. The actual operational difference that customers notice.

10

If we did this right, what does year one look like to you?

Real numbers if you can. Or just the texture of what success feels like.

How this is processed. Your answers go straight to Jerry's inbox. No automated drip sequence, no third-party CRM. We schedule a follow-up conversation within a week to dig into anything that needs more.

What this looks like, filled in

Tom's answers to all ten of these questions are in Tab 02 of the Pioneer workbook — long-form, in his voice, mostly off-the-cuff. Worth reading if you want to see what JCW actually does with the answers.