10 Red Flags to Watch For in Clients
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Today we are diving back into one of my favorite subjects to explore on this show which is your clients, more importantly, your ideal clients. Today we are going to talk about what to look for as red flags in non-ideal clients that you need to watch out for in your sales process. One of the fastest ways to run your business into the ground is to take on clients who are bad fits for your program, who don’t appreciate the value, are going to tax your energy, and take it away from clients who really could benefit from it.
A lot of people, especially early on, try to get anybody who will pay for it there. It is exciting to make a sale but sometimes you overlook what is possibly a red flag in the sales process that comes up and bites you later on. Today I am going to share some common red flags that you can watch out for in new or current clients to give you a better idea of what exactly you should say no to and hold your boundaries on for the sake of serving the clients that really can benefit from what you have to offer.
We discuss:
- [03:16] If they believe that you are their savior and everything is going to be turned around with your help they are bound to be disappointed no matter how good of a job you do. You want to feel like this client is going to succeed whether you work with them and you are just going to help them succeed more, faster, and better.
- [03:58] Look out for words like quick, easy, and simple when describing a project or a job that somebody wants to bring to you. You want to watch out for anyone who is diminishing the value of the work that they are about to ask you to do before they even start talking about it.
- [05:00] You can tell that the client doesn’t have a clear understanding of the problem that they have. If you are not sure that you fully understand, it is better to turn that one down for a project that you are very clear on.
- [05:53] Another red flag is having troubled relationships with past coaches, consultants, or people that they have worked with. If they are blaming other people for their failures without taking responsibility for the problem there is a good chance that you are going to be the next one they blame for not being successful.
- [08:19] When a potential client comes to you with an urgent project sometimes that seems like a good sign to bump up your prices a little bit but it also is a sign that there could be other problems behind the scenes somewhere.
- [09:05] Trying to change the agreement after the agreement has been made is a red flag.
- [09:41] Be very clear upfront about what the scope of your work is, and what the boundaries of your work are, and don’t let anybody change that because even a small change can add up to a big difference in results over time.
- [10:20] If they don’t show a personal level of respect for you especially early on in the sales process then you shouldn’t expect them to be respectful later on if any challenges or unforeseen circumstances come up along the way. Make sure you feel respected right from the get-go when screening your clients.
- [11:15] Another red flag is a client that tries to control the situation too much instead of deferring to your expertise.
- [11:58] Another red flag is seeking too much validation.
- [13:11] Look for weak links in their business.
- [14:27] Another red flag is offering other forms of trade or payment to cover something.
- [15:34] Stick to your value. Stick to your pricing.
- [15:50] One bad client can drain the energy of your program. It is very worth taking the time to make sure that everybody you work with is worthy and can receive the maximum benefit of what you do.
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