Become Client Selective to Grow Your Business

In all the years I’ve worked in sales I was always told that a “sale is a sale”.

It wasn’t until I started working for an employer who was an entrepreneur did I learn to approach getting clients differently.

He told me to be selective about getting clients and to not accept just anyone who wanted to pay me. That once I had them that it was imperative to establish a long term and natural relationship. “Just personalize your relationships” he told me. “They’ll appreciate you, what you offer and the trust begins”.

It worked and I found that I had great success gaining and retaining clients.

The same is now the case with my solo business. I’ve found that while others look at client attraction based on numbers and volume, my success strategy has been all about being selective as to who I want to work with.

As solo business owners we forget that we have a choice in who we work with and that we can say “yes” and “no” when we’d like. We think we should take every client who is willing to pay. But the better way to handle this is to be client selective.

Why is it important to do this for better business growth? It’s because the more selective you are with who you work with the greater success they will have, you will have helping them reach their goals and you’ll have better testimonials.

My clients often ask me, “How can I be selective when I’m still trying to get clients? Shouldn’t I just start taking any clients to get more practice?”

My answer, have a very clear criteria for who you will accept and stick close to it.

Here are four ways to help yourself choose the best clients to work with:

1. Identify your ideal client – what are the traits and characteristics of the person you most like to work with? Identify this now so you know who to look for and accept
2. Decide who else you’ll work with – there are clients who are your most perfect ones. The stars are aligned when you connect. Then there are others that are still wonderful but not 100% ideal. It’s okay to accept them too.
3. Know your limits – For those you know are not the right fit, do not accept them just for the sake of taking them on or for the money. One of the best things you can do is refer them to someone who is ideally suited to work with them.
4. Tap into your intuition – there are times when the chemistry feels right. Trust it, because even if they don’t seem to be the most ideal client there is something within your intuition that says you should take them on—trust it.

Let me assure you that the more clients you work with the easier it will be to select the best ones to work with.

Assignment: The next time you have a Strategy or Discovery Session, ask yourself if this is an ideal client or one very close to it. You’ll know very quickly if they are. If they are then begin working your sales process with them. If they’re not then do them the favor of telling them and help them by recommending someone else who is ideal.

Your Turn: Have you ever worked with someone who wasn’t the right client? How did you handle working with them? Did you continue or did you decide to part ways?

Image courtesy of Idea Go / FreeDigitalPhotos.net