# 20 Client Intake Brief Global > Generic client intake brief for international marketing agencies — 11-section template covering business overview, target audience, current marketing, goals, budget, timeline, brand assets, success criteria. Generic version (no industry variants for v2.5 — coming in v2.6+ if demand). Trigger: 'client intake', 'agency brief', 'new client onboarding', 'project kickoff brief', 'discovery call templa… - **Type:** Skill - **Install:** `agentstack add skill-minhnv0807-ai-business-skills-20-client-intake-brief-global` - **Verified:** Yes — security-reviewed for prompt injection and unsafe behavior - **Seller:** [minhnv0807](https://agentstack.voostack.com/s/minhnv0807) - **Installs:** 0 - **Category:** [AI & ML](https://agentstack.voostack.com/c/ai-and-ml) - **Latest version:** 0.1.0 - **License:** MIT - **Upstream author:** [minhnv0807](https://github.com/minhnv0807) - **Source:** https://github.com/minhnv0807/ai-business-skills/tree/master/skills/en/20-client-intake-brief-global - **Website:** https://opa.business ## Install ```sh agentstack add skill-minhnv0807-ai-business-skills-20-client-intake-brief-global ``` Requires the [AgentStack CLI](https://agentstack.voostack.com/docs/cli). Works with Claude Code, Cursor, and any MCP-compatible agent. ## About # Client Intake Brief (Global, Generic) > **Role of this skill:** This is the **input gate** for every marketing engagement. > > Other "brief" skills are produced by the agency *for* internal teams or vendors: > - `02-campaign-brief-global` — agency drafts for execution team > - `06-ugc-egc-brief-global` — agency drafts for creators > - `12-landing-page-brief-global` — agency drafts for designers/devs > > This skill is different — it is the document the **client fills in for the agency** so the agency has structured input to plan from. > **Note on industry variants:** v2.5 ships a single generic English template. Industry-specific variants (SaaS, DTC, healthcare, real estate, etc.) may be added in v2.6+ based on demand. The generic template is designed to work across categories — agencies should add 1–2 industry-specific questions in Section B and Section I as needed. --- ## For Newbies A bad intake produces a bad plan. Most agency-client relationships fail in the first 30 days because the agency built a strategy on assumptions instead of facts. This brief is your insurance policy. It forces the client to write down what they often only carry in their head — their actual customer, their real budget, what success means to them, what they've already tried, what's off-limits. **Two failure modes to avoid:** 1. **Brief is too short** — agency starts work with 5 lines of context, makes wrong assumptions, three rounds of revisions follow. 2. **Brief is too long** — client abandons it halfway, fills the rest with "TBD," agency starts work blind anyway. The 11-section template below is the minimum viable intake — designed to be completable in 30–45 minutes by a non-marketer founder. --- ## When to Use This Skill | Situation | Use this skill? | |-----------|----------------| | New client inquiry — collect info before quoting | YES | | Starting a new marketing project — need structured input | YES | | Re-brief when client expands scope or pivots goals | YES | | Onboarding a long-term retainer client | YES | | Already have full context from extensive discovery calls — go straight to `00-marketing-plan-global` | NO | --- ## Step 0 — Read Context Read `.agents/product-marketing-context-global.md` if it exists. The agency may already have brand-voice or template preferences captured. --- ## Step 1 — Information Gathering Ask the agency lead up to 4 questions: 1. **What is the client's industry?** (SaaS, DTC ecommerce, healthcare, education, real estate, professional services, etc.) — used to tailor Section B and I 2. **Client size?** (Solo founder / SMB / Mid-market / Enterprise / Agency-of-record relationship) 3. **Project type?** (Launch / Re-launch / Scale / Long-term retainer / Single campaign) 4. **Delivery format?** (Fillable .md sent by email / Notion doc / Google Form / Typeform / printed in-person) --- ## The 11-Section Intake Template Designed to flow from easy (basics) to hard (strategic decisions), so the client builds momentum. ### A. Business Overview The "who are you" section. Quick to fill, builds confidence. - A1. Legal company name (and trading name if different) - A2. Year founded - A3. Founder(s) and key leadership — name, role, LinkedIn - A4. One-sentence description of what you do - A5. Annual revenue range — checkbox: pre-revenue / open-ended - Prefer checkboxes and radio buttons for structured data - Use 2–3 column tables for comparable items (competitors, products, team) - Reserve long-form text only for persona, story, and constraints ### 3. Easy → hard ordering - Start with simple business basics (Section A) - Build up to strategic and budget decisions (Sections E–F) - End with reflective questions (Section K) - Client builds momentum, doesn't quit on question 3 ### 4. Time-respectful - 30–45 minutes total to complete - Add a progress indicator ("Section A of 11") - Optional sections marked clearly so client can return later ### 5. Closing commitment - Client signs off that information is accurate - Agency commits to confidentiality and use limitation - Clear timeline (24-hour confirmation, 5–7 business day plan v1) --- ## Red Flags Checklist (review the returned brief) When the client sends the brief back, scan for these warning signs before quoting: - [ ] **"TBD" in too many fields** — they haven't done the homework. Schedule a working session. - [ ] **Budget mismatched to goals** — "$5K to launch internationally" requires re-scoping or re-targeting. - [ ] **No measurable KPIs** — Section E filled with adjectives ("more leads"). Force numbers before quoting. - [ ] **Timeline impossible** — wants results "in 2 weeks" with no audience, no list, no creative. Re-set expectations. - [ ] **Decision-maker not engaged** — brief filled by junior staff, principal hasn't seen it. Pause until you have leadership alignment. - [ ] **Conflicting stakeholders** — Section I "do's" contradict each other (e.g., "premium luxury feel" + "aggressive discount campaigns"). - [ ] **No data, no tracking** — Section H mostly blank. Plan needs to budget for measurement setup before optimization work. - [ ] **Recently fired previous agency** — Section G mentions a prior agency relationship that ended. Get the why before signing. - [ ] **Compliance landmines** — Section I mentions a regulated category (health, finance, alcohol, gambling) without legal contact. Add legal review to scope. --- ## Quality Checklist (before sending to client) ### Content - [ ] All 11 sections (A–K) present - [ ] Each question has an example answer or industry-relevant prompt - [ ] All terminology accessible to a non-marketer - [ ] "Don't know — advise" option present on expertise-heavy questions - [ ] Tone matches agency brand (formal / casual / boutique) ### Structure - [ ] Header includes agency contact, send date, return-by date - [ ] All tables have clear column headers - [ ] Checkboxes use consistent Markdown format - [ ] Next Steps section at the bottom - [ ] Confidentiality statement included ### Industry adaptation (if applied) - [ ] Section B has 1–2 industry-specific product/service questions - [ ] Section I includes industry-specific compliance constraints - [ ] Persona examples in Section C reflect the client's category - [ ] Competitive examples in Section D are realistic for the industry --- ## Linked Skills - **`00-marketing-plan-global`** — once the brief returns, build the full marketing plan - **`02-campaign-brief-global`** — turn the plan into specific campaign briefs - **`08-competitor-research-global`** — expand Section D into detailed competitive intelligence - **`09-customer-insight-global`** — expand Section C into deep persona research - **`10-reverse-kpi-calc-global`** — turn Section E targets into reverse-engineered funnel math --- ## Notes for v2.6+ Industry variants planned (if demand justifies): - SaaS / B2B software - DTC ecommerce (apparel, beauty, F&B) - Healthcare & wellness - Real estate - Online education & coaching - Professional services (legal, accounting, consulting) - Restaurants & hospitality Each variant would override Sections B and I with industry-tuned questions while preserving the 11-section A–K structure. ## Source & license This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code. - **Author:** [minhnv0807](https://github.com/minhnv0807) - **Source:** [minhnv0807/ai-business-skills](https://github.com/minhnv0807/ai-business-skills) - **License:** MIT - **Homepage:** https://opa.business Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above. ## Pricing - **Free** — Free ## Security capabilities Automated source analysis of v0.1.0 — what this tool can access: - **Network access:** no - **Filesystem access:** no - **Shell / process execution:** no - **Environment & secrets:** no - **Dynamic code execution:** no *"Yes" means the capability is present in the source — more access means more to trust, not that it is unsafe.* ## Versions - **0.1.0** — security scan: passed — Imported from the upstream source. ## Links - Listing page: https://agentstack.voostack.com/l/skill-minhnv0807-ai-business-skills-20-client-intake-brief-global - Seller: https://agentstack.voostack.com/s/minhnv0807 - Browse the marketplace: https://agentstack.voostack.com/browse --- Listed on AgentStack — the marketplace for AI agent skills and MCP servers. Every listing is security-reviewed. Creators keep 70%.