As an entrepreneur, you’re probably used to saying yes to anyone willing to pay for your services. I get it… You have a mortgage to pay, a car payment, utilities, food, fuel, clothing, children, pets, etc.
There’s something more important than the money, though – having requirements for your potential clients.
No matter what type of business you are, you always want to be thinking about the types of clients you want to serve. Rather than saying “yes” to every person who comes your way, you can learn how to prioritize your clients over your currency.
Clients Over Currency
The next time a client asks you, “How much do you charge?”, here’s what I want you to do:
- Slow things down by saying something like, “I’m glad we’re here, but first I have a few requirements for every client that I’m going to work with.”
- Then say, “The first requirement is ‘Are you ready? Is this the right time in your life to take on this kind of a commitment?’” This is important because clients will often have a lot on their plate.
If they’re not truly ready to make the change or move forward, then it might be best for them to wait and use that investment at a later time.
- If they say “Yes, I’m ready!”, then you can move on to requirement number two by saying something like, “This is going to be more than just a financial commitment. This will be a commitment of time and a commitment to yourself. Are you ready to commit to all of that?”
This answer they will usually need to think about for a while. This is good because you want them to think about it before they answer you.
- The third requirement is that you want them to have some kind of experience with you.
This is a great time to offer them a coaching session where they can get to see what your coaching actually consists of.
Coaching isn’t a career that you can talk about and give an example of. Instead, your clients will need to be able to feel it, because it’s connection-to-connection.
After you have coached them that first time, they’ll have a better understanding of what to expect from your coaching.
If, after the first time you’ve coached them, they say they’re ready to work with you and you feel like they’d be a good fit to work with, then you have your next client!
Final Thoughts
When you learn to implement this practice, you’ll have mastered the art of slowing down in order to speed up.
In other words, you’ll slow down long enough to see whether you’d be a good fit to work with each other. Then you’ll be able to speed up the process of working together from then on.
Remember to prioritize your clients over your currency and you’ll set up the best coaching relationships with your ideal clients!
Want more coaching advice? Check out my Coaching For Coaches tips!
