Phased monthly close ask pack — operating SOP

Day 0 seed → Day 3/7/10 Missing-only asks → close gate. For solo and 1–3 person practices.

Checklists and email templates help; this page is the operating rhythm: how you run the same ask pack every month without reinventing the chase. One pack per client per period. Line items, not laundry lists.

Before Day 0 (once per client)

Copy the client’s standing doc matrix (bank/CC, loans, payroll, tax, assets, owner notes)
Mark every account you can pull via feed or read-only access as N/A (pullable) — never chase those
Confirm engagement letter has a close-gate sentence (docs due → close starts)
Park subject lines + templates for Day 3 / 7 / 10 so you only fill Missing lines

Day 0 — seed the pack (send once)

Create period rows (e.g. Aug 2026): one row per required item still client-owned
Status defaults: Missing for chaseable; N/A for pullable
Send one clean ask: named items + period in subject; attach or link the checklist
Set Next ask = Day 3 for every Missing row

Day 3 — filter, don’t re-blast

Filter tracker: Status=Missing and Next ask ≤ today
Email only those lines (item-specific). Update Last ask / Next ask → Day 7
If client replies with a date, note it; don’t escalate early

Day 7 — close blockers only

Same filter; tone stays procedural (cite engagement close-gate once if helpful)
Drop nice-to-haves; keep statements, payroll journals, access failures, material transfers
Next ask → Day 10 for anything still Missing

Day 10 — final nudge + gate

One short item list + “Close starts when these arrive; reply with files or a firm date”
Never re-send the full Day 0 bomb
Billable close begins when every required row is Received or N/A
Park open items on next period’s Day 0 pack with a carried-forward flag

SOP rules that stick

One ask pack per client × period — not a shared mega-thread
Name the period in every subject and body
Pull first; chase second; escalate only Missing blockers
Track status per line item so anyone on the practice can pick up mid-month

Related free guides

Grab the free phased monthly-close checklist, or join the CloseReady early-access waitlist for the full intake + monthly ask kit (tracker schema + chase packs).