Choose Your Clients Wisely

Imagine you are going on a vacation across the country. You will travel the interstate the whole way. For the trip, you need to rent a vehicle. You have two options.

The first option is a relatively new sedan. It gets great gas mileage and sits comfortably.

The second option is a 20-year old SUV gas guzzler that make funny noises when it goes faster than 50 Mph.

Which one do you think would be the best fit for you and your journey? Yes, the answer is obvious.

And yet, when people go into business for themselves, I suspect that they struggle with the idea that not every client is a good fit for their journey. Some clients will make your business journey a breeze. Others, meanwhile, can become a source of crippling stress.

I realize that many people go into service-based business for themselves because they want to help everyone and make the world a better place. I get that. Really, I do. And, it would be absolutely fantastic if you could indeed help everyone who came to you.

But here’s a reality check: You can’t.

Sorry, but it’s true. You really can’t help everyone.

And here’s a bigger reality check: If you want to be successful in your service-based business, you really don’t even want to try.

The Fallout of Bad Matches

Accepting a bad match as a client will go about as well as renting that old, gas-guzzling, ready-to-break-down SUV for your cross-country trip. You may make it all the way to the end of the journey, but the struggles can far outweigh any of the benefits.

Let’s break down all the ways a bad match can lead to problems for you and your business. As we move forward, imagine that you are a health coach. We’ll use that as an example to illustrate how things can go awry.

Non-Compliance and Frustration

Congratulations! You just signed on a new client for your “8 Weeks to Improved Health” program. You know you have a great program because it has worked consistently for many clients.

So, when Sam came to you, you simply assumed you could help. During your interview, Sam identified several health issues he wanted to be addressed. You talked with him about how a tailored program that focused on exercise and diet could dramatically improve his situation by the end of the program.

During the interview, he sounded skeptical. After all, he had already been to other health coaches, and they couldn’t help him. He claimed to have done everything they told him, and it still didn’t help. But he was willing to try anything, and you say you can help, so why not?

You create a plan for Sam. For accountability, Sam is to record his progress. Here’s how it goes.

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Week 1: Sam documents progress. He doesn’t actually do everything, but he does most of it. You discuss with him the importance of adhering to the program if he wants results.

Week 2: Sam says he did everything, but only documents part of it. You talk with him about the importance of the documentation for accuracy and accountability.

Week 3: No documentation, but an assertion that he did most of the program. Unfortunately, he has been extremely busy as of late, and focus on the program isn’t optimal. Oddly enough, he is somehow actually gaining a bit of weight. At this point, you can see that compliance is a major issue. He always has an excuse. You are getting more and more frustrated.

Week 4: The trend continues. He now voices concerns that your program — for which he paid — doesn’t seem to work.

Future weeks: More of the same.

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Is there any reason to believe that Sam will eventually become compliant? No, and as the weeks go on, you can probably expect productivity to decrease and your frustration to increase.

Emotional Wear and Tear on Yourself

You need to take care of yourself. If you fall apart, your business will fall apart.

If your mindset is “help everybody”, then you will feel a sense of obligation to do your best to achieve that goal. As Sam’s progress slows or even reverses, how will you feel about that? Guilty? Inadequate? The list of negative emotions could be long.

How will you respond? I imagine many would invest themselves more into the coaching so that Sam can experience at least some positive results. But, what are the odds that the extra energy and work will actually help Sam out? I would say slim to none.

If you care about your clients, then I suspect that Sam’s attitude and noncompliance will surely take its toll on you. The emotional pressure he adds to your life could easily affect your energy levels when working with other clients, sleep patterns, and even primary relationships.

Clients Not Getting the Services They Expected

Let’s face it: Sam is not looking for a coach. He is looking for someone to wave a magic wand and make his problems go away. Unless you can do that, you can’t really help him.

He’s also paying money to you for a service with the expectation of results. Which may or may not be a fair expectation, depending on your point of view. But whether it is fair or not, it is still his expectation. Since he is looking for one thing and you are offering another, it’s safe to assume that the service is doomed from the get-go to fall short of his goals.

I can’t imagine him feeling happy about that.

Bad Reviews

Here’s what you may want to be most afraid of: Unhappy people have reason to leave negative reviews. You do not want this.

I cannot emphasize enough the effect that reviews have on drawing in (or driving away) potential clients. Do whatever you can to avoid bad reviews.

If by chance, you do end up with a client like Sam, I recommend you do whatever you can to keep him as happy as possible. Unhappy customers are one thing. Unhappy customers who feel motivated to write a bad review are another. A negative review can do damage to your business for years to come.

Seek Out Your Ideal Client

The good news is that all of this can be avoided. If you commit to working with only those you are best geared to help, you won’t have clients like Sam.

So, what does your ideal client look like?

Your ideal client…

• is actually looking for your solution to their problem
• wants to engage your process
• shares your values
• connects with your personality
• has a problem that you can actually help with

That list may sound like a dream, and it is. But it’s a perfectly reasonable dream, and you can get close enough to it to reap the benefits.

If you intentionally select clients that are relatively in line with your ideal profile, you will enjoy working with them and your business will grow as a result. Furthermore, they will love you and what you do, which will drive them to give you great reviews and recommendations. This kind of business relationship is a win-win for everyone.

Wouldn’t you rather spend time in a win-win situation instead of spinning your wheels? If so, then please choose your clients wisely.