Amy Walker Coaching

Say Goodbye to Crappy Clients

We’ve all had them.  That client that is 10 times more work than everyone else.  They are demanding and needy.  They make you feel slightly sick when you see their email come through.  You find yourself always assuming they are reaching out because they have a problem.  And you are right most of the time!  They pay late.  They have excuses for why they cannot complete their assignments and they blame you when it doesn’t work out.  Are you picturing their face as I describe them?

The truth is, they are so much work, they are often times costing you money instead of making you money!  Think about the time, energy and worry that is going into this client.  Now I want you to assign a dollar amount on how much you are giving out.  It’s probably a large number.  Now think about how much they are actually paying in.  Relationships like this rarely balance out.  You are almost always left in an energetic deficit and sometimes in an actual financial deficit.

Here are 5 tips to say goodbye to these clients once and for all!

1. Never haggle over your prices. Your prices are set based on your value.  When someone is haggling over prices, they are pulling your value down from the very beginning of the relationship.  I’m not saying that I never lower my prices.  But when I do, it is because I feel it would be a service to the other person, not because they beat me up until I caved to their demands.
2. Don’t compete for the least expensive spot in your industry. When you are trying to be the least expensive, you attract in all of the people who value a low price beyond anything else.  They have a tendency to want the world, but only be willing to pay for a fraction of it.  Let the Walmart’s of the world take care of this group.  Instead focus on finding clients who share your values, determination, and desires.  You will work much better together!  It will actually be an enjoyable process working together.
3. Set healthy boundaries. Set the expectations for boundaries in the beginning of the relationship and do not bend on them.  If you tell your clients they can only reach you during business hours, and then you respond to their emails on weekends and evenings, you are teaching them to disrespect your boundaries.  You are showing that you don’t honor your boundaries enough to follow them.
4. Be willing to let clients go. Think of it like fishing.  Everyone wants to catch something.  But sometimes you come across fish that are so small, they wouldn’t even be worth cooking.  The effort doesn’t warrant the reward.  The same is true with your business.  Not everyone is going to be a good fit for you.  When they are not, just let them go.  Hopefully they find what they are looking for. At the very least, they know that you are not what they want and both of you can move forward. It feels amazing when you say no to a potential client!
5. Don’t be desperate for clients! When you are desperate you put out a vibe and pain in the butt people are drawn to it like flies on stink! If you are feeling desperate, it’s because you are not converting sales.  You are probably not converting sales because you either don’t have enough leads to work with, or you just struggle with converting.  Wouldn’t you rather use that energy to learn to do those two things better than work with these challenging clients?

If you need help in any these areas, to schedule a free business assessment with one of my coaches.  We will help get you back on track!

Your time is VALUABLE as a business owner!  Stop spending it in unproductive areas and with unproductive people! << For More>>