{"id":16452,"date":"2015-09-08T22:00:36","date_gmt":"2015-09-09T02:00:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wework.com\/creator\/?p=16452"},"modified":"2020-03-30T18:28:04","modified_gmt":"2020-03-30T22:28:04","slug":"5-tips-for-finding-clients-who-love-what-you-do","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wework.com\/ideas\/professional-development\/5-tips-for-finding-clients-who-love-what-you-do","title":{"rendered":"Five tips for finding clients who love what you do"},"content":{"rendered":"

Deciding who to work for is one of the biggest decisions that a new business makes. People often make the mistake of going about this from the opposite angle\u2014many young companies try to make themselves right for every customer. But as director of sales and marketing at Strategic Sales & Marketing<\/a>, I’ve found that\u00a0the truth is, not every customer is right for you. You\u2019re better off finding the right fit\u2014those great clients who love what you do\u2014rather than trying to adapt your offerings to please everybody.<\/p>\n

As you get started with building your client base, it\u2019s important to give some thought to what a \u201cgood client\u201d really means to\u00a0you. By attracting more of the good clients and avoiding the bad ones, you\u2019ll have a more productive, efficient business\u2014and you\u2019ll have a more fun and fulfilling professional life as well.<\/p>\n

Here are a few guidelines on what makes a good client:<\/p>\n

They pay their bills on time<\/strong><\/p>\n

First things first: you\u2019re in business to make money. Any client who doesn\u2019t pay their bills promptly (or at all) is not a good client\u2014no matter how engaging the work or how nice they are to talk to on the phone, they need to keep your bank account well-replenished or else they\u2019re just wasting your time. The best clients might be willing to give you more generous payment terms\u2014ask them to pay you partially in advance, or pay you immediately upon receipt of your invoice. Maintaining a steady cash flow is the most important order of business for your company, and the best clients will understand this.
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

They aren’t too high-maintenance\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Without clients, you wouldn’t have your business, but some clients may not be worth it.\u00a0If a client is causing a lot of aggravation and stress, they might not be worth keeping.\u00a0That’s why it’s important not to rely on a small client base.\u00a0If they are taking up too much time\u2014not allowing you to perform important tasks to sustain your business\u2014and causing you to miss out on better opportunities with other clients, then it might be time to end the business relationship.<\/p>\n

They value your work
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

Once the money situation is under control, it\u2019s time to think about fulfillment. Some clients just aren\u2019t going to get<\/em> what you do. Some clients will object to your prices, question your expertise, nickel and dime you with petty complaints, undermine your consulting advice, and otherwise make themselves a source of pain and difficulty in your life. It\u2019s up to you to decide how much of this you\u2019re willing to tolerate\u2014sometimes we all have to pay the bills, and sometimes it\u2019s worth putting up with a bit of nonsense just to keep cashing those sweet, sweet checks. But the best clients will not interfere with your professional expertise\u2014in fact, they will welcome your advice and will help inspire you to do your best work. There\u2019s an old saying that \u201cpeople never listen to advice unless they\u2019re paying for it,\u201d and the best clients understand this. They\u2019ll truly value the service that you provide, and they\u2019ll believe that you\u2019re worth more than what they pay.<\/p>\n

They spread the word about you
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

The best clients will be so happy with your work that they\u2019ll eagerly refer you to new business opportunities. This is very gratifying when a client turns out to be one of your biggest cheerleaders and best marketers\u2014and you should thank them and reward them generously. Getting referrals from existing clients is one of the best ways to build up a client base. But it\u2019s not always easy to ask your clients to take the time and effort to introduce you to their network of colleagues and contacts. It\u2019s all the more amazing if clients are generous enough to spread the word about your business. Consider offering a discount on their next bill. Or send them a really thoughtful gift, whether that\u2019s a premium box of chocolates, cookies, concert tickets, a gift certificate for a sporting goods store so they can get new equipment for their favorite sport\u2014whatever it is that they love to do. Show them your appreciation in a way that\u2019s really thoughtful and personal, and they\u2019ll keep rewarding you.<\/p>\n

They\u2019re people who you love to work with<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ideally, the best client relationships are valuable relationships even aside from the financial transactions. The best clients feel like more than just clients\u2014it’s really not just about the business, but relationship-building and trust, and ultimately some of my best clients are ones where we exchange best practices, they ask for me business guidance, and vice versa. We find ways to create a lot of value for each other that’s beyond the scope of money.\u00a0It\u2019s true that your clients are not really your friends, because it is<\/em> a business relationship. But sometimes, you have clients that are such great people and you get along so well that you just know you\u2019re going to stay in touch for a long time, even if the business relationship someday comes to an end.<\/p>\n

Building a business and creating relationships with clients is one of the great joys of being an entrepreneur. Every client relationship is hugely valuable\u2014not only in terms of the monetary lifetime value of the business that you\u2019ll do for that client, but in terms of the lifelong potential value of referrals and \u201cfree advertising\u201d that the best clients can give you.<\/p>\n

Cherish your good clients. Do whatever it takes to keep them happy. Ideally, if they\u2019re really good clients, they\u2019ll want to keep you happy too. The best client relationships are mutually beneficial, where you both bring out the best in each other and help each other make more money for years to come.<\/p>\n

Photo credit: Lauren Kallen<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Deciding who to work for is one of the biggest decisions that a new business makes. People often make the mistake of going about this from the opposite angle\u2014many young companies try to make themselves right for every customer. But as director of sales and marketing at Strategic Sales & Marketing, I’ve found that\u00a0the truth […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1120,"featured_media":16457,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[43902],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16452","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-professional-development"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nFive tips for finding clients who love what you do<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"With the right clients, you\u2019ll have a more productive, efficient business\u2014and you\u2019ll have a more fun and fulfilling professional life as well.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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