Engineering Trust & Leading Clients

A Codeable Skillset Chat

Hudson Atwell

Partner, Client Success Manager @ Codeable.io

My Background

Building WordPress plugins since 2009
Completed 100+ tasks as an expert from 2017 to 2019
Working internally with Codeable since 2019 (7 years)
Held every role in customer support
Currently co-manages the Client and Partner Success Divisions

How can I help?

Reviewed thousands of Codeable projects
Worked closely with hundreds of experts and clients
Built a clear understanding of what successful outcomes look like from both sides
Offer practical insight into how experts win and keep their edge

What You Will Learn Today

ARC I - IMPROVED ACQUISITION STRATEGIES
Concepts to strengthen how you acquire clients, stand out amongst peers, and win projects
ARC II - IMPROVED RETENTION STRATEGIES
Techniques to improve long term client loyalty through presentation and value delivery
ARC III - IMPROVED BUSINESS PLANNING
Mentalities to engineer opportunity through organization-driven mindsets

Arc I Acquisition

Arc II Retention

Arc III Planning

Arc I

We will be reviewing several practical writing techniques that systematically build trust and reduce client hesitation

The Rhetorical Triangle -a simple framework for writing effective and persuasive engagements
Mirroring & Expectation Management -techniques that reinforce trust

These techniques, if applied to your writing skills, should help signal competence and inspire confidence

Arc I -Improved Acquisition Strategies

The Rhetorical Triangle

Rhetorical Triangle: Ethos, Pathos, Logos

The Three Appeals of the Rhetorical Triangle

Ethos -Appeals to Credibility
Pathos -Appeals to Emotion
Logos -Appeals to Logic

Ethos

Inspires Credibility and Leadership

Traditional Appeals

Citing personal experience
Citing awards or credentials
Citing past reviews

Codeable Appeals

Professional tone
Perfectly structured communications
Highlighting platform credibility
Advising clients they can review expert profiles
Highlighting that we are all experts and capable to take on the work

These are all acceptable appeals to ethos/credibility when writing an engaging message.

Pathos

Appealing to human emotion

Identify pain-points
Show empathy
Consider being complimentary
Portray what success looks like
Offer assurance that this is within capability

Logos

Appealing to Logic

Being attentive to questions asked by the client
Asking good questions yourself
Describing the problem clearly
Using specific data or metrics
Setting clear expectations

Example: Ethos, Pathos, Logos in Action

“Welcome to Codeable, and thanks for taking the time to describe your issue. You’re in excellent hands here. I noticed you asked about examples of past work. On Codeable, you can explore each expert’s experience directly through their profile. Simply click a profile photo to review background, history, and project examples.”

[Ethos: Professional tone, platform credibility, inviting profile review, highlighting expert capability.]

“I understand how frustrating a broken checkout must be, especially when it directly affects your revenue. You’ve clearly put a lot of care into building this store, and it shows. We can absolutely get this resolved and have your customers completing orders again smoothly.”

[Pathos: Identifies pain points that are creating emotional tension in the client, then projects success to provide release. Compliments the client and offers assurance.]

“The first step would be to replicate the issue in staging and confirm whether the conflict is theme or plugin related. From there, we can define scope and timeline clearly. Do you happen to know if any plugins or the theme were updated around the time the issue started?”

[Logos: Describes the problem clearly, sets clear expectations, and asks a good question that moves the project forward.]

Improper Uses to Avoid

Improper Ethos

Self promotion
Over use of “I” rather than “Royal We”
Basically anything Codeable will not permit

Improper Pathos

Pressuring the client
Fear based urgency
Emotional manipulation

Improper Logos

Asking questions already answered
Ignoring provided details
Over diagnosing or giving away implementation

Mirroring & Expectation Management

Mirroring

Pay close attention to:

Writing style
Length of message
Facts in description
Questions being asked by the client
Sense of urgency

Mirroring is not a rigid science. Look for opportunities where mirroring makes sense, but it’s okay to be asymmetrical.

Consider mirroring a quality control exercise when double checking your writing.

Expectation Management

Expectation management starts small
When your projections are accurate, trust is built
When self-set expectations are not met, trust erodes
The more trust you garner over time, the healthier your relationship is and the more effective your leadership
A trust-filled relationship makes clients more open and receptive to your suggestions

Between mirroring and expectation management, expectation management stands out as the more critical.

Arc II -Improved Retention Strategies

The Sandwich Method

A Powerfully Simple Framework

Why is it called the Sandwich Method?

Opening PDF - The foundational bread.
- A branded document delivered before work begins that sets expectations and builds confidence.
Work Execution - The filling.
- The actual delivery of services as agreed upon.
Closing PDF - The top bread.
- A branded document delivered upon completion that reinforces value and opens doors.

Bread.

What goes in an opening PDF?

Project goals and client pain points
Deliverables and milestones
Out of scope clarifications
Assumptions and constraints
Dependencies and client responsibilities
Timeline expectations
Success criteria
Communication policy
Establishes shared understanding before commitment

Signals professionalism and structured thinking

The Middle Part

Deliver. The. Work.

Perform agreed scope as defined in Opening PDF
Use structured scope as reference point
Follow communication policy
Document decisions and tradeoffs
Maintain alignment with success criteria

“There’s value in this meal”

More Bread

What goes into your closing PDF?

Summary of work completed
Description of delivered outcomes and benefits
Notes on decisions or tradeoffs made
Confirmation of scope completion
Recommended next steps or opportunities
Reinforces value at moment of completion
Creates natural conversation for expansion
Provides shareable artifact that propagates your branding (it's good marketing)

Delivered upon completion, highlighting the value added

Why the Sandwich Method Works

Formalizes communication at critical moments
Improves clarity and professionalism
Increases conversion rates
Creates natural upsell opportunities
Strengthens client relationships
Generates marketing assets that can be shared with stakeholders (and beyond)

The Power of the Uniform

A well structured and branded PDF:

Signals professionalism and preparation
Conveys belonging to a trusted organization
Competence through visual consistency
Generates an aura of caring, inspiring confidence in your work

Do your best to look good.
Although looks aren't everything, they can help you deliver your message and create a positive impression on your customer.

Do you know who else has aura?

Goku

Be like Goku.

Do you know who else cares about presentation?

Pilots

And people trust them with their lives.

Upsells and Natural Timing

PDFs offer natural upsell opportunities

(Moving Metal) Strike when the iron is hot. Expand value at natural inflection points.
(The Restaurant Experience) Offer options, not pressure
(Brochure) Future improvements feel like opportunities, not sales

Closing PDF creates perfect moment for recommendations

Arc III -Improved Business Planning

Future Preparation & Opportunity Management

The Story of the Stone Sorter

A man cleared a stony field with great care to get it ready for planting:

First, he gathered the largest stones into one pile
Then smaller stones into another pile
He continued until he had ten organized piles of similar-sized stones

His neighbors laughed: “Look at the fool fussing with his stones!”

They simply tossed all their stones into one ordinary heap when they cleared their fields.

The Builder Arrives

A builder passed by and saw the ten organized piles:

He immediately bought all the stones for 20 pieces of silver
The builder setup camp for the evening to have the stones loaded into his caravan. He was on his way to the city for a large building project.

The farmer’s neighbors rushed over:

“Look here, builder! We have similar stones from our work and we can sell them to you as well.”

The Builder’s Response

“Your stones I would have to first sort out, which would take me a great deal of effort, and time, which I don’t have. These here are already sorted, just as I need them now. I would rather overpay for these than accept yours free!”

The neighbors tried to sort their stones afterward, working late into the evening while the builder loaded stones and camped for the night. But it was too late. The builder had what they needed and promptly left in the morning. The neighbors had exerted much effort for nothing.

The Lessons

“Always try and be as organized as possible. When someone then comes with an offer, they are sure to always go for the best order.”

A later effort is often in vain. Start looking for opportunities to organize well early.

People will pay premiums for well-organized material.

Tools for Organization

ClickUp -Project management and task tracking
Evernote / Joplin -Note-taking and documentation
Private Comments Area -Codeable’s built-in notes
Notepad++ -Simple text documentation
Any system that helps you sort your “stones”

Part 2 - Business Forward Mentality

Always Be Closing?

The traditional sales mindset:
- Transactional thinking
- Short-term orientation
- Pressure to “close the deal”
- Getting them to fund a proposal

Works for acquisition. Sets us up for another concept that will help with scaling and maximizing relationship potential...

Always Be Opening

Door opening with light rays -opportunity

•Open new pathways for clients
•Identify growth opportunities
•Present ideas at the right time
•Build long-term relationships

Recap

Engineering Trust & Leading Clients

What We’ve Learned Today

The Rhetorical Triangle -A QC mechanism for persuasive communications
The Sandwich Method -Religiously using PDFs to create long lasting artifacts that project and confirm value, provide leadership through upsells, and promote your brand
The Stone Sorter -Organized preparation meets opportunity
Always Be Opening -Creating opportunities through service

Recap: The Rhetorical Triangle

Ethos -Appealing to credibility
Pathos -Appealing to emotion
Logos -Appealing to logic

Selling competence through attentive writing.

The Power of Mirroring

Identify and answer all questions directly
Identify and respond to their pain points and goals
Attempt to measure their writing style for clues to how they like to be engaged with
Demonstrate that nothing was overlooked
Build confidence through comprehensive understanding

Make the effort to be as attentive as possible (soft skills).

Expectation Management as Leadership

Define clear next steps
Reduce uncertainty and build confidence through leadership
Promise what you can deliver, deliver what you promise

Expectation management is your greatest tool as a project manager and communicator. It might be a top 5 life-in-general tool, and you should practice it anywhere you are required to be responsible over something.

Be Listful, Not Listless

Track client goals and pain points
Track upsell opportunities
Document patterns you notice
Sort opportunities by relevance
Prepare for when the builder arrives

Organization is not overhead -it’s opportunity creation (Parable of the Farmer Who Organized his Stones).

Look Your Best While Doing It

Format influences perception
Organized information feels safer
Visual discipline builds authority
Professional consistency creates trust

Apply the sandwich method. It’s overly simple and super powerful.

Always Be Opening

Every project is an opportunity to open the next one
Opening is a mentality, do not neglect it.
Scope creep, if handled correctly, is not a pain -it’s an opportunity.
Closing PDFs plant seeds for future work

You don’t have to act on every new opportunity, but you should definitely save it for when the moment is right.

The Sandwich Method in Action

Opening PDF -Professional first impression, clear expectations, builds confidence
Do the work.
Closing PDF -Reinforces value, documents outcomes, opens doors for future opportunities

PDFs as Word-of-Mouth Marketing

They get shared with stakeholders
They showcase your professionalism to others
They propagate Codeable branding
They become marketing materials you don’t pay for

Every PDF is a potential introduction to your next client. A client will show a great proposal to other stakeholders, and these stakeholders may have their own separate needs.

Thanks for paying attention.

🏆

A reader is a leader

Credits

Lecture prepped by Hudson Atwell

Custom HTML + JS slideshow developed with Claude Code

All images generated by Midjourney

This slideshow workspace can be forked from:
github.com/atwellpub/engineering-trust-while-leading-clients

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