19 Sep How To Get Good Clients/How to Be A Good Client
I love working with my executive coach, Anne Marie Segal of Segal Coaching. She is always challenging me as a leader and helping me clarify the company vision, goals and path. One of the things I have been doing is working through “Book Yourself Solid” by Michael Port. (I prefer the illustrated version, myself – I like the ability to “see” stuff).
We are in the process of working through our “Red Velvet Rope Policy,” in which we are really thinking through the process of finding the clients who are right for us. So we made a list of things that won’t cut it and attributes that we are seeking in our clients. Here you go:
Clients who won’t make it past our Velvet Rope:
Constantly changing mind, direction
Don’t pay on time
Clients We Seek:
Those with Vision
Give us direction, then let us work
Curious and open to new ideas
When we reviewed past, current and our thinking on future clients, we realized that the red flags start flying early. so knowing the attributes in clients that are deal breakers is crucial. When we see that we are not a good fit, we are referring early and sparing both parties. We have clients that have worked with us for 10+ years, and guess what? They have all the attributes we seek. The newer clients we are delighted to talk to, the ones we look forward to meeting with? Yep, they have all the right attributes. If you find yourself dreading calls, emails and meetings with a certain client, make a list of what is working and what isn’t. You probably need to let them go…your business will be better off, since you won’t have bad juju and more positive energy to spend on clients you care about…and who reciprocate.
Let me know if you have a “Red Velvet Rope” policy and what your criteria are for letting clients past the rope vs. not. And if you are a client (not just our client), what makes the client-agency relationship sing??