How To Get More Clients, Just Say NO!
Elisa B. Bennett
Helping You Master Lead Gen with LinkedIn & AI | Transforming Digital Presence into Lead-Generation Machines | IBM Alumni
Can You Say NO To Bad Business?
It seems like a good idea to say yes to every client who knocks on your door. Especially when you're just starting out and don't have many reliable sources of leads yet.
In the beginning, that's an important strategy for figuring out what types of clients it's best not to work with (especially since they can be difficult). When you move past desperation or 'food off of your dream board,' remember... great clients create a strong business! It is ultimately up to YOU as well as YOUR responsibility which type of client will yield THE BEST results--and there are certain ones we should all refuse from working with at ALL costs:
Crazy Is As Crazy Does
Do you think someone is just having an off day? NOPE! You were lucky enough to see how bad it can get or like my client turned out to be MUCH WORSE.
I mistakenly agreed to help a client who got very strange and confrontational on our initial call. She got worse on our second call. I corrected her and told her it couldn't happen again. SURPRISE...even with my feedback and warning, she couldn't maintain sanity and was verbally abusive on our third and FINAL CALL.
While it makes for a great article and better boundaries, it's also okay for you to learn from other people's lessons and just say no!
Say No To Grow
This might sound counterintuitive when you’re trying to grow your biz, but pursuing only your ideal client helps you convert MORE leads. Everyone wants to be a member of the club they can't join - NO is a great strategy for getting people interested in working with you BUT this does not mean that all clients are qualified or have what it takes. I recently made the mistake of taking on a client who said she has never been able to sell and didn't think she could ever sell anything!
BIG RED FLAG PEOPLE! I sell leads, so she basically told me...
- I've never been able to use what you're offering and...
- I'm not sure I ever will AND...
- I DIDN'T LISTEN.
Just say no to fixer-upper boyfriends, girlfriends, and clients! It's not your job to fix the world and to submit to the dull ache water drip torture of letting the wrong people in your life.
Surround yourself with people you love and your life will thank you for it.
Who's Your Ideal Client?
It's easy to let the wrong client in if you don't know who is right for your business.
My ideal client is...
- Someone who has a business they love and want to stay in for 12+ months otherwise the limbo of figuring it out stage takes away from the FUN show me the money stage.
- Someone who has clients who love them. It's much easier with my system to attract more people you love if there are already some. ADDED BONUS...clients who love you can bump your conversions by 84%. Got recommendations?
- Someone who helps others and is making the planet better in their tiny slice of it. Helping great people help more people keeps me where I love to live in my unicorn, rainbows and cotton candy world where I can create more MAGIC, LOVE and MONEY for more clients.
WHO DO YOU LOVE working with? Who is your ideal client? Let us know in the comments section below. ?? ????
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4 年Awesome article I agree with everything and I learned it the hard way.
?? Make it Growing, Agile and Organized ?? | Entrep, CEOs Business Coach Mentor | Dyslexic Innovator | Advocate for Conscious Leadership
4 年I like that Elisa! I see also that sometimes people do not have the luxury of choosing! But for sure one makes more money and get more satisfaction with 10 good customers rather than 100 bad. ??
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5 年The best part of getting to "no" is the feeling of self-empowerment. Unpretentious, pure, unequivocal self-empowerment! Thanks for the article Elisa B. Bennett, ???????? ?????? ?????????????
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5 年Elisa B. Bennett, ???????? ?????? ????????????? ?yes yes yes!!!! you should say "no" to a potential client you don't want or figure is not going to be worth the effort required to keep them happy.? You don't say "yes" to every boy that knocks at your door?? Or "yes" to every tele-marketer or to every credit card offer?? Do YOU?? Each of these "opportunities" has a cost . . . and clients do too.? Some just cost more than others . . . if you have a plethora of leads "you love" - then you can be even more selective AND PROFITABLE!
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5 年I'm going to dispute not having food on your dream board... Perhaps I should take you out to dinner sometime Elisa B. Bennett, ???????? ?????? ????????????... ? PS-totally agree with all of this! ?Sometimes I've been a slow learner in a couple of situations. ?Magically, I'm way to busy to help with Crazy's next dream vacation... ?(not sorry)?