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| The Client Letter |
| Beware the Clients Who Know What They Want |
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September 20, 2011 Sedona, Arizona As I write this, I’m considering whether or not to pursue a potential client looking for a copywriter. I’ll keep the details very general, but I will tell you that this client (seems) to know what she wants. And in my eyes, that can be a problem.
The Renegade Professional INTENSIVE STARTS Saturday!
REGISTRATION IS ABOUT TO CLOSE. If you’re waiting until the last minute, we’re quickly approaching that. This is one of the last chances you’ll get to come onboard. Over 7 weeks, you’ll completely redesign your business so that it works FOR you instead of against you. If you want better clients and higher fees, you can find them here. Here’s a little tidbit of info that you might find surprising: Instead of Clients Who Know What They Want, I’d Prefer Clients Who Know WHO They Want
Imagine you are a doctor. Your patient comes to you and says, “Hey Doc, I have this small cut in my toe. Can you bandage it up for me?” You get out your antiseptic, you clean the wound and bandage it up. You’re done. Total charge? $95.00 for the office visit. That might sound like easy money but I don’t think it’s a way to get rich. Now imagine another scenario… This time the patient comes to you and says, “Hey Doc, I have this weird pain in my side. When I press on it, I start seeing green spots and the world spins about 90 degrees. It looks and feels like I’m walking sideways. It’s affecting my life at home, at work and everywhere I go.” You look at the patient, scratch your head and go to work. Eventually you get the guy turned right side up again and everything is fine. Total charge? $6,400 for the SOLUTION to the problem he couldn’t solve himself. Do you see a difference? Now back to the potential client I’m thinking about… If the potential client already has in her head what she wants, her search becomes centered mainly around finding the right person to deliver that. The focus becomes, “Can you deliver that?” That’s not the focus you want. The really good clients are the ones that come to you and say: Hey, I’ve heard you do great work… I have this big problem in my business and I’m hoping you can help me solve it. Do you see where I’m going with this? Here’s where I’m going: The Value You Deliver to a Client Isn’t Confined to What You Do For Them. The More Valuable Part is Knowing What to Do in the First Place.
Those are the clients I want. Where I can do that. Those clients are focused on achieving an objective and they are requesting my help to do it. They are not looking for someone to make a green widget that’s 6ft by 5 inches and can be delivered by Wednesday with a glitzy bow on it. There IS value in a widget service like that, but there’s not enough value to charge high fees. See you tomorrow,
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