The Desert of Arizona
Sunny 74 Degrees
Everything goes in cycles. Clients come, clients go. One week the new client is exciting. A year later, you can’t stand the person.
Things like this just happen in the client business. And really, since we’re all human here, there’s not much we can do about it.
So it pays not to get all bent out of shape when the idiosyncrasies of human beings start to appear. Learning to accept the reality of working with humans is a much better way to retain your sanity.
That said, there is an awareness you want to build that will help you maintain healthy client relationships as long as possible.
You want to become aware of what the client attraction force is doing at any one moment.
Most service providers have never thought about this. They’ve never thought about the fact that client attraction doesn’t end just because you got the client.
Client attraction is a force that you want to remain present for the entire lifespan of the client.
It’s better for you, it’s better for them.
The way you do this is a skill you develop over time. That way, you can avoid something I refer to as “the two faced syndrome.”
It usually happens right at the moment a service provider gets the client. In that instant, everything changes. And the service provider, in an effort to keep the client happy, goes into people pleasing mode.
Please note: you want to serve your clients. That’s why we’re here, right? But you don’t serve them at your expense. That’s not sustainable long term.
The way to make it long term is to set the way you do things and then attract the clients happy to work under those terms.
Just always keep yourself aware of the attraction force. Is it increasing or decreasing?
Think of the client attraction force like a balloon filled with air. Right when you get the client, the balloon is generally at its fullest.
- Then you answer the phone at 11PM when the client calls. A little bit of air goes out of the balloon.
- Then you skip your child’s birthday party because the client needs something done ASAP. More air leaves the balloon.
- Then you are given a cubicle at your client’s office and you become “one of the guys…” More air leaks out of the balloon.
You wake up one day wondering why the client doesn’t respect you anymore. Why don’t they take your advice like they used to? Why are they starting to haggle over your fees?
It’s because you let the air out of the balloon. You had no boundaries. Boundaries preserve respect. Boundaries preserve attraction.
If you don’t have them, get them. If you need help, you’ll find it here.