the engaged client finds your emails insulting

(the disengaged client finds them useless)

Tia Gets Sales

Feb 18, 2026

∙ Paid

The flight attendant noticed her in row 14C before the plane even finished boarding.

White-knuckle grip on the armrest. Shallow breathing. Eyes darting to every sound.

First-time flyer. Obviously.

Most flight attendants would ignore it. Wait until she asked for help. But this one walked over before takeoff.

“First flight?”

A nod.

“Let me tell you exactly what’s going to happen. In about four minutes, you’ll hear a loud thump. That’s the cargo door closing. Then the engines will get louder for about thirty seconds during taxi. The takeoff roll lasts exactly 45 seconds, and then we’ll climb for about 10 minutes. Every sound you hear is normal. I’ll check on you after we level off.”

The woman’s shoulders dropped two inches.

She didn’t need the plane to be different. She needed someone to tell her what to expect and check on her before she panicked.

Now think about your newest client.

They paid $5,000 on Wednesday. Got a login email Thursday. Logged in once on Friday, clicked around, felt overwhelmed.

Then nothing. Silence for 9 days until the first group call.

By then, buyer’s remorse had already set in. The excitement that made them say yes had faded into doubt. The momentum was gone.

Today, I’m sharing the conditional onboarding system that adapts to client behavior and keeps them engaged through the critical first 30 days.

→ Why calendar-based email sequences fail and what behavior-based onboarding looks like

→ The 3 engagement signals that predict first-month churn before it happens

→ How to build a Make workflow that sends different messages based on what clients actually do

Let’s stop losing clients to silence...

1️⃣ Why Calendar-Based Onboarding Sequences Fail

You set up a welcome sequence.

Day 1: Welcome email.
Day 3: Here’s how to get started.
Day 7: Check in.

Feels organized. Feels like you’re taking care of people.

Except it treats everyone the same.

The client who logged in immediately and completed the first module gets the same “here’s how to log in” email as the client who hasn’t opened anything since payment.

For the engaged client, your emails feel redundant. Slightly insulting, even.

For the disengaged client, your emails miss the point entirely. They don’t need instructions. They need intervention.

Calendar-based sequences send emails on a schedule. But client success depends on what they’re actually doing. The gap between those two things is where churn lives.

❌ Before: Day 3 email: “Here’s how to access your portal and complete your first lesson!” (sent to someone who already finished Module 2)

✅ After: Conditional message: “You’re already 2 modules in — love the momentum! Here’s what most clients find helpful at this stage...” OR “Noticed you haven’t logged in yet. Need help getting started? Reply and I’ll walk you through it.”

Here’s how to shift from calendar-based to behavior-based:

→ Identify your key engagement signals. Email opens, portal logins, module completions, community posts. Pick 3-4 that you can actually track.

→ Define what “engaged” looks like. Opened welcome email within 24 hours? Logged into portal within 48 hours? Completed first module within 7 days? Set your benchmarks.

→ Create branching paths. Engaged clients get celebration and “what’s next” messages. Disengaged clients get intervention and support offers. Same system, different experiences.

Instead of treating everyone like they’re at the same place, you meet them where they actually are.

2️⃣ The 3 Engagement Signals That Predict Churn

Most coaches find out a client is struggling when they ask for a refund. By then, it’s too late. The relationship is already damaged.

But disengagement doesn’t happen suddenly. It builds. There are warning signs in the first 7-14 days that predict whether someone will make it or drop.

If you catch them early, you can step in before the decision is made.

❌ Before: Finding out a client is unhappy when they email asking for a refund.

✅ After: Automated flags that alert you when engagement drops, before they’ve mentally checked out.

The 3 Critical Signals:

→ Signal 1: Email Engagement (First 48 Hours)

Did they open your welcome email within 24 hours?

If yes, they’re paying attention. If no, they may already be having second thoughts.

Intervention: Resend via text with different subject line. Personal “making sure you got this” note.

→ Signal 2: Portal Login (First 72 Hours)

Did they actually log into the platform?

Payment doesn’t mean participation. A client who pays and never logs in is a refund waiting to happen.

Intervention: “Your login is waiting” reminder. “Need help getting started?” offer.

→ Signal 3: First Action (First 7 Days)

Did they complete the first module, make their first community post, or take any meaningful action?

Progress creates commitment. No progress creates doubt.

Intervention: “Noticed you haven’t started” check-in. “What’s getting in the way?” direct question.

Your churn rate drops because you stopped waiting for problems to announce themselves.

3️⃣ Building Your Make Workflow for Conditional Onboarding

Zapier handles simple automations well. But conditional logic — “if they did this, send that; otherwise, send something else” — requires branching that Zapier makes expensive or complicated.

Make handles branching natively. You can build workflows that check multiple conditions and route clients down different paths based on their actual behavior.

❌ Before: One sequence for everyone, regardless of what they’ve done or not done.

✅ After: Branching workflow that sends different messages based on email opens, portal logins, and module completions.

The Make Workflow Structure:

TRIGGER: Payment webhook (Stripe, PayPal)

BRANCH 1: Email Engagement Check (48 hours after payment)

→ IF opened welcome email: Send “You’re in! Here’s your first step” celebration message

→ IF NOT opened: Resend via text + “Making sure you got this” personal note

BRANCH 2: Portal Login Check (72 hours after payment)

→ IF logged in: Send “Great to see you inside!” + quick win suggestion

→ IF NOT logged in: Send “Your login is waiting” reminder + offer to help

BRANCH 3: Module Completion Check (7 days after payment)

→ IF completed Module 1: Milestone celebration + “here’s what’s next” guidance

→ IF NOT completed: “Noticed you haven’t started” check-in + “What’s getting in the way?” question

Why Make handles this better:

→ Router modules split workflows into branches natively

→ Filters check conditions before actions fire

→ Multiple data sources (email platform, course platform, CRM) connect easily

→ Visual builder shows exactly what happens at each branch

Your onboarding stops being one-size-fits-all and starts responding to who actually needs attention.

That’s it.

Here’s what you learned today:

→ Calendar-based onboarding sequences treat everyone the same. Conditional onboarding responds to behavior.

→ Email opens, portal logins, and first module completion in the first 7 days predict whether clients will stay or churn.

→ Make workflows can branch based on multiple conditions, sending different messages to engaged vs. disengaged clients.

Today, pick one engagement signal you can track. Build one branch that checks it. Send one intervention message to clients who miss that benchmark. Watch what happens to your first-month retention.

Ready to build an onboarding system that actually responds to your clients?

You’re not bad at client success. Your onboarding just treats everyone like they’re at the same place.

When every client gets the same sequence regardless of what they’ve done, the ones who need help don’t get it in time.

Today’s paid member mega-prompt gives you the complete Make workflow plus message templates for every branch.

Paid members get:

✔ Complete Make workflow architecture with all 3 branches

✔ Message templates for engaged path (celebration + guidance)

✔ Message templates for disengaged path (intervention + support)

✔ 30-day milestone map with touchpoint timing

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