The Ultimate Investment by Mark B. Murphy

Author:Mark B. Murphy [Murphy, Mark B.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: General Fiction
Publisher: Forbes Books

CHAPTER SIX

FIRE MORE CLIENTS THAN FIRE YOU

When I started my business, I was reviewing my weekly schedule one day when I noticed that all I was routinely scheduling was my lunch break and the occasional haircut. That was the extent of my robust calendar. I had absolutely nobody to see. So if I could have gotten an appointment with the chair next to me, I would have scheduled the appointment and penciled that into my robust calendar too. I was that desperate for appointments.

That’s the first trap of becoming an entrepreneur: scarcity. Not having enough clients or business or slots filled. This drives you to meet with anyone who’ll agree to meet with you. When you’re starting out, often, your business is operating in survival mode, so, like a starving man, you take whatever you can get. You grab a saltine.

The second trap of an entrepreneur is the ego trap. It’s the “I can help everybody in the world. There isn’t a soul around I cannot help.” As a result of this mindset, you start to bring in and attract clients who consume a disproportionate share of your time for the effort that they’re truly worth.

But more importantly your team follows suit in your footsteps, and soon, they are draining their time and resources, too, on these clients who seem an ill, if desperate, fit for your company. Clients who won’t respect your values, your rules, your processes and sometimes clients who don’t respect or value your worth. Soon, your employees start to pick up on these signals, and often they, too, start to lose respect for you. Whether they voice it out loud or not, they start to wonder, “Why are we putting up with this nonsense from this client who just won’t follow the rules and doesn’t really seem as committed to the process as we are? We’ve got other great clients.” Just like choosing a significant other who’s an unemployed serial cheater, what could possibly be the rationale behind taking on a client who’s a rude jerk with no money?

The first thing you’ve got to do as an entrepreneur is let go of your ego and realize you can’t be the savior for everybody. What this does is release you and your team from chasing the riffraff that aren’t worth your time or efforts.

It’s only then that epiphany will strike, and you’ll realize that who you’re really looking for in most clients is yourself. Your very best clients are going to be the clients who are most like you. What does that mean? Say, for example, if you’re loyal, your clients, too, will tend to be loyal. If you’re hardworking, they, too, will tend to be hardworking. If you appreciate their knowledge, they will appreciate yours. If you’re a big thinker, they most likely will be too. If you’re looking for a transformational relationship, they’re most probably looking for a transformational relationship too. To some extent, this reinforces theories about the universe we often hear: you will attract the energy you put out there.

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