The Client Letter
November 17, 2013
The Desert of Arizona
Sunny 60 Degrees
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It’s probably clear to you by now that all clients are NOT created equal.
And the earlier you spot the clues that separate the good clients from the not so good ones, the better off you will be.
Because once you spot the clues, you can make decisions.
You can move towards the good clients, (and work to deepen those relationships) and move away from the not so good ones (and let those relationships run their course).
So take a look at your current clients and ask yourself this question:
“Is my client more interested in what I do or that I’m the one that’s doing it?”
In other words, where does the majority of the value you provide to your client actually live? Does it live in what you do or inside the person that is doing it?
Your client probably never told you the answer to that question directly. Instead, she hid the clues all over the place in her behavior.
Do you get emails asking you “What do you think is the best course of action here?” or do you get emails asking “When’s that widget going to be done, we needed it yesterday…”
One email reveals your client’s perception of you as an advisor, the other email reveals their perception of you as vendor.
Vendors experience pressure in two place: the first is on fees, the second is on terms.
“How fast and how quick” are not where you want to be.
As fees for your services go up, you tend to get hired more for who you are than what you do. I first heard this idea from Dan Kennedy, but my experience has proven it to be true.
That’s why, when you’re starting out, you always see some experienced person in your industry and wonder why they get paid so much. “I can do that just as well as they can,” you say to yourself.
Well that’s not the point. And that’s not what they’re getting paid for. They get paid for being them.
Do your clients view you as an advisor or a vendor?
Be honest with yourself. Take a clear snapshot of your reality and then decide whether or not that’s how you want it to be.
You have more control than you believe.