“The beginning is the most important part of the work.
— Plato, Greek philosopher.
“At least he wasn’t an axe murderer!” My friend’s assertion did little to sway my opinion. I asked, “Why do you keep accepting blind dates with unsuitable people?” Her eyes searched mine – for a reprieve perhaps, or forgiveness? Finding neither, she glanced away and plead, “Well, it beats being alone on Friday nights.” “Really!” I admonish like an English governess. “Any date will do, so long as you keep busy on a Friday night?” Her cringe acknowledged my stark appraisal. “Pathetic, I know,” she offered limply, “but it does distract me from my loneliness.” I remained steadfast. “I don’t know what else to do,” she said, relenting. “You can start,” I jumped in, “by defining your ideal client!”
She knew I used “client’ as a metaphor for “date” because, like my other coaching clients, she offered the same types of excuses for keeping unsuitable clients in her business. However, as with bad blind dates, these clients drive us crazy because they don’t possess characteristics that make the experience enjoyable. To avoid this and get the experience we want, we must – in the beginning – define the clients we want.
We can start by understanding what makes a bad client. On a generic level, certain clients, no matter what product or service, display non-desirable behaviors, including high complaints, non-compliance with procedures, and rudeness. On a specific level, some clients aren’t in a position to maximize the service of a given business, such as a home buyer with insufficient down payment or a single traveler using a couples’ travel agency. Ultimately, these unsuitable clients lock up “slots” that could be used to serve good clients, often to the point where 80% of client service effort gets allocated to the bottom 20% of clients – the “problem” clients. This produces a lose/lose dynamic: frustration and expense for the business, with underserved and unsatisfied clients.
Conversely, good clients are win/win. They display good overall qualities, such as paying bills on time, clearly communicating wants, and respecting the business’s services, and they fit the business’s specific service niche. This good client works with a business to solve issues, stands ready to consummate the transaction, and conveys a sense of closure and accomplishment after a service is rendered.
Since these are the clients we want, how can we know one when we see one? Create a profile of what this client looks like through what I call the “Ideal Client Profile.” On a scale of 1 – 10, think about client interactions that comprise a “7-10 Experience.”1 This is easy on a generic level. Most of us say things like, “Clients who respect my service, pay my invoices, or who are courteous.” We also need to get granular, defining the top specific attributes relative to your business. These should align with our business strengths – the things we do/be/are that differentiate us in the marketplace. If you’re in real-estate, where geographically do you want to sell? If you’re offering financial services, what net worth client meets your needs? If you’re a business lawyer, what type of industry aligns with your expertise? Here’s an example for a Commercial Real Estate Agent:
Potential clients must be:
1. Dealing in $1M or above property
2. Adequately financed
3. Buying/Selling in a targeted geographical area
4. Serious and motivated
5. Valuing of agent’s role
6. Responsible and respectful
Once the Ideal Client Profile is in place, we simply tick through it and either “hire/retain” the good clients (ones who comply with our profile) or “fire/avoid/refer-out ones who don’t meet our criteria.2 In one fell swoop, we remove the bulk of client issues, expand the percentage of time working with enjoyable and profitable clients, and make room for more good clients.
At first, this may seem hard to do. As with most improvement tasks, knowing what and how to do something is easy. It’s execution that challenges us. One big reason is exaggerated fear emanating from a scarcity mentality. It’s a dog-eat-dog out there, some of us think, and the pie’s only so big. Letting a client go may start a slippery slope to the poorhouse. A second reason is bad clients keep us busy (remember my friend’s blind date?). For many of us, staying busy looks like success, but really distracts us from doing the deeper work of defining a better life. Finally, a less acknowledged and more insidious reason is apathy. Simply put, most of us have been willing to settle for a #5 existence. We hear voices saying, “Who do you think you are? Life is tough – you should just be happy where you are.” This impoverished self-image that will thwart our path to success and dull our happiness for whatever success we do attain.3
Confronting our demons can be difficult. The key is to think abundantly. The world of business is not a pie with only so many sections. Instead, wealth is created by each of us when we step to the plate to offer a service that meets another’s needs. It’s dynamic and grows to whatever size we create. We simply need to pause, know we deserve success, and ask the question, “What can I do to create a 7-10 experience in all I do?” In the area of business, creating an Ideal Client Profile will help steer us in that direction, providing clarity and specificity, and keeping our target out front. It will also act as an advance planning tool – one that preserves time, both for managing current clients and seeking new ones. Taken together, these positive outcomes will not only make business life more enjoyable, they will enable each of us to bring more of our authentic selves into the world, which for me, comprises a crucial ingredient for living the “7-10” life.
~ MarGO
1 For more on living a 7-10 Experience, see “The Power of Place”
2 For more on severing non-productive relationships, see “The Power of Parting”
3 For more on overcoming fears, see “The Power of Prevailing”
