The Desert of Arizona
Sunny 65 Degrees
I don’t necessarily want more clients, I just want a better business. And the definition of that is one that supports the life I choose to live.
So the picture of THAT might look little to nothing like the picture would look if more clients showed up.
Back when I first started “Clients Suck” (the angry first iteration of what was to become Incomparable Expert), I thought there was a fundamental problem with the client/service provider model.
Turns out, I was just clueless! I was in the right ballpark but had no idea where my seat was for the game.
I eventually started to piece together a different way to look at things. This from a past issue of the Client Letter:
Working FOR clients sucks.
Working WITH clients is a different matter.
Getting yourself in the right headspace about this concept will make a huge impact on the quality (and profitability) of your client engagements.
When you are working with a client, you go in as a partner. As an expert your client has hired to walk along side him/her towards a goal.
If your client hired you to fulfill a list of orders, or to make a widget or two–in my mind, those are not the type of clients you want.
If your clients don’t perceive you as a professional “partner,” then it’s time to get new clients.
You don’t work for clients, you work with them towards a common goal.
But even once you get that difference worked out in your head, that doesn’t mean that MORE CLIENTS is the answer.
There are other possibilities for how to add value and build your business based on your skills and expertise.
But you have to think. You have to learn to see what you’ve trained yourself to ignore.
Right now, most service providers are like the consultant who owns only a hammer. Every problem he sees looks like a nail.
Same with service providers. When your eyes are looking only for MORE CLIENTS, you miss the countless opportunities you might pursue instead.
Is your goal REALLY more clients? What if that’s only a step you’ve convinced yourself you need to get to the REAL goal?
Ask yourself if there are other ways to get there and see what comes up…