Let's face it, we would all love a business filled with only ideal clients! But, if you're like many, you always seem to find yourself playing host to clients that are anything but ideal.
These are the clients who sap your energy, place unreasonable demands on your time and question every little detail rather than valuing the skills and expertise you bring to the project.
If fact, how many times have you found yourself in the middle of working with one these clients and thought to yourself, "I had a feeling about this client".
Well, in this week's article we're going to focus on how to be more in tune with those feelings and learn to trust our instincts to avoid clients we should not work with and better identify those clients we really should be working with.
The first thing you need to overcome is a belief that you are obligated to work with anyone who expresses an interest in your business.
In today's economy especially, it's very easy to get caught in the mindset that we should take any business that comes our way.
In order to be your best, you need to work with clients that bring out the best in you.
If you are continually running up against clients who are robbing you of your energy and time, you are not at your best for those clients you truly would like to build a better relationship with.
You need first believe in yourself and acknowledge your right as a business owner to select a list of clientele who inspire and energize you as a design professional.
I just recently read that Warren Buffet asks himself three questions before agreeing to work with anyone: "Do I like them? Do I trust them? Do I respect them?" Trust your instincts, that "gut" feeling will help guide you in selecting the right clients to work with.
The second step is to really get to know what your ideal client profile looks like.
Look at the characteristics and qualities of those clients that have inspired you in the past.
Take into consideration their demographics - what was their lifestyle, profession, family/marital status, age, hobbies, etc.
Did your ideal clients have any specific demographics in common? What did they bring to the table that made the project really work from your standpoint? Beyond just identifying characteristics from our past ideal clients, you also need to know what YOU are looking for in an ideal client.
Many of us never take the time to specifically identify what we are looking for but we definitely know it when we get that client who is anything but ideal.
We have no problem pinpointing the source of our frustrations then! Take that frustration and flip it around to identify what was missing in your relationship with that client and what were you looking for from that client to make the project run more smoothly.
Raising your awareness as to who your ideal client is will have a huge impact on your business.
You'll intuitively start marketing to your ideal clients, approach your business with a renewed sense of purpose and and you'll find yourself asking key questions at the onset to better determine who you want to take on on as a client.
The beauty in this approach is that the better you understand who your ideal client is, the more you'll find yourself attracting your ideal client, resulting in a business that truly works for you and allows you to be your best!