Do you know the very essence of profitable and joyful businesses? It’s working exclusively with perfect clients. Why would you ever want to work with rotten clients? Or ones who aren’t an ideal fit for you and your brand? It’s not worth a little bit of a compromise to work with somebody who isn’t a good fit. In this week’s episode, Samantha Hartley talks about what every profitable, joyful consultancy has in common.
Part One of ‘What Every Profitable, Joyful Consultancy Has in Common’
Have you ever asked someone for a piece of advice, but didn’t accept what you heard? Or you probably had a friend whom you gave helpful advice to but ended up not listening to you anyway. You see, working with the right clients is a fundamental aspect. If you don’t have it in place, it can be way too complicated for you to grow your business.
“Rotten clients are so bad for our business.”
Sometimes, you have to let potential clients make mistakes on their own. And the truth is, you can’t help everyone. While you may be willing to offer a simple solution to a complex problem, someone may not be at the stage of being able to receive that help. It’s not a joyful thing to work with rotten clients.
Yes, you need clients to keep your business going. The fact is they’re not profitable, and it’s a wrong business decision to work with a rotten client. They require more time, effort, they’re pulling you out of your thinking zone, and they are not in the same flow. Rotten clients push back on your prices and your value. They question your value by paying late as if they’re almost sending a message that they’re not happy with your service because they keep on forgetting.
If you’ve ever signed on a rotten client, there were probably some difficult negotiations around price. They may have been looking for things to dislike. Questioning your value, in general, is a quality of rotten clients.
You can do work with a client who isn’t a perfect fit for you. But here’s what you need to keep in mind. It means that you get paid, but you don’t get any testimonials or referrals because you don’t want testimony from someone who’s not a fit for your brand. When they refer you, often they’re referring you to people like them. And if they’re like them, then they’re also not a fit for your brand. Referrals from imperfect clients are usually not perfect for you either.
Part Two of ‘What Every Profitable, Joyful Consultancy Has in Common’
As you grow as a brand and as a business owner, you’re going to find that your perfect clients also evolve. As you’re clearer on what you do, as you evolve in your skills, the people who want and need that will show up for you. Keep in mind that perfect clients are going to be a moving target for you.
“Perfect clients are loyal and they tend to return to you which is the most fulfilling aspect of the business.”
What can you expect? Well, first of all, they get your value. They understand your importance. They pay joyfully and on time. The checks that are written to you should be written with joy in your clients’ hearts. They should be so happy to be paying you for the rewards, the benefits that you’re bringing to them. They feel that they’re profoundly benefiting from the work that you’re doing.
They can explain that value to other people. They respect you as a person, and they also respect your time. When you work with perfect clients, it’s super-efficient. The time flies by because you’re having a great time. They tend to return to you again and again, which is the most fulfilling aspect of doing business with them.
