By Charlotte Balbier, Business and Life Mentor.
The knowledge that every client is not your client and that’s OK is incredibly empowering.
When we realise this, it means that we will grow as a business and will therefore get better results, make more money, and enjoy greater happiness and job satisfaction. It is very much about working with intuition – that gut instinct that tells you from the outset that they are not the right client for you.
When taking on a new client, start by reviewing if they are aligned with you, your ethos, and what you offer. I am an experienced business mentor that delivers results. I support high achieving women transform their confidence and business with 1-1 mentoring. It is so important that I work with people that I can have a great relationship with whilst bringing out the best in them, enabling them to see great results. No doubt one of your business values and goals is to always get the best results for your clients too. If the connection isn’t there you simply won’t achieve this. You always need to consider if they are going to benefit from working with you, as well as looking if you will too. If the answer is no this isn’t good for you or them, as you’re not living and working within your values, which is so important when it comes to business.
When you start out in business you are naturally keen to take every job possible, focusing on the bottom line rather than the process along the way. We have all done jobs that just were not the right fit for us. The important thing is that we learn from these mistakes. The aim should be to reach a point where you are solely working with your ideal clients. Working with a range of different people along the way enables you to really get to know who that perfect client is, inside out. The most interesting thing of all? Your ideal client is usually the very best version of you! It is you on a good day. They say like finds like and I certainly believe this is true. If you sit and write down the traits of the person you most want to work with and read it back, it is usually a version of yourself. We naturally attract people similar to us, with values, beliefs, ethics, and goals that align with ours. This is very powerful in itself, as who knows us better than we know ourselves? Working with people similar to us allows us to quickly dig deep into who they are and what they need, so we can work on helping them reach their full potential.
I always say there is good and bad money. Good money comes when you do a good job that brings prosperity, happiness, and results for all parties. That is what we all strive for. Bad money is where you have been paid well but along the way it has overwhelmed you, caused you stress and anxiety, and has culminated in disappointing results. This happens when you are not aligned with the person, company, or project you are working on. Trust your intuition because it is never wrong.
Of course, if we identify that a client or opportunity is not for us, then comes the tricky bit – we need to say no. It is critical that we learn how best to do this. So many of us are people pleasers who struggle to say this simple word. The fear of offending someone can cause you to feel incredibly uncomfortable and anxious. It doesn’t have to be that way though. My advice is to keep it really simple. Always begin by acknowledging their contact and thanking them for their interest. Then say no, giving them a very brief explanation as to why. Don’t go into too much detail, unless they come back to you asking for more. A good idea is to suggest someone or something else that could work for them instead – it’s always lovely to recommend other people where possible. Keep your communication with the client brief and to the point, making it clear this is the end of the conversation. I am a huge believer in positive energy and good karma, so it goes without saying that you should always leave things on good terms.
Declining work opportunities may sound like a counterintuitive notion, but sometimes it really is the best thing to do. At the end of the day you want to see results for both you and your client – if this means turning down applicants along the way, enabling both of you to look elsewhere and find a better fit for your values and goals, then that is the right thing to do. No is a powerful word.
About the author
After founding and building a 7-figure bridal brand, Charlotte has transitioned into mentoring to fulfil her purpose in life; to empower and support women in taking the actions needed to achieve unlimited prosperity, happiness, and success.
Charlotte’s mentoring is for high achieving entrepreneurs who are ready to invest in their self-development and want a mentor who has the experience and expertise to support them on their journey to financial freedom. Working on their money mind-set and focusing on building their brands and businesses to be profitable. Charlotte takes her client through the action needed to be taken to ensure a long and prosperous journey.
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