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.
Thatâs the first trap of becoming an entrepreneur: scarcity. Not having enough clients or business or slots filled. This drives you to meet with anyone whoâll agree to meet with you. When youâre 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. Itâs the âI can help everybody in the world. There isnât a soul around I cannot help.â 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 theyâre 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 wonât respect your values, your rules, your processes and sometimes clients who donât 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, âWhy are we putting up with this nonsense from this client who just wonât follow the rules and doesnât really seem as committed to the process as we are? Weâve got other great clients.â Just like choosing a significant other whoâs an unemployed serial cheater, what could possibly be the rationale behind taking on a client whoâs a rude jerk with no money?
The first thing youâve got to do as an entrepreneur is let go of your ego and realize you canât be the savior for everybody. What this does is release you and your team from chasing the riffraff that arenât worth your time or efforts.
Itâs only then that epiphany will strike, and youâll realize that who youâre 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 youâre loyal, your clients, too, will tend to be loyal. If youâre hardworking, they, too, will tend to be hardworking. If you appreciate their knowledge, they will appreciate yours. If youâre a big thinker, they most likely will be too. If youâre looking for a transformational relationship, theyâre 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.
Download
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.
Hit Refresh by Satya Nadella(8851)
The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy(8504)
Change Your Questions, Change Your Life by Marilee Adams(7369)
Nudge - Improving Decisions about Health, Wealth, and Happiness by Thaler Sunstein(7238)
The Black Swan by Nassim Nicholas Taleb(6761)
Deep Work by Cal Newport(6561)
Daring Greatly by Brene Brown(6221)
Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert T. Kiyosaki(6174)
Principles: Life and Work by Ray Dalio(5954)
Man-made Catastrophes and Risk Information Concealment by Dmitry Chernov & Didier Sornette(5643)
Playing to Win_ How Strategy Really Works by A.G. Lafley & Roger L. Martin(5487)
Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport;(5388)
Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert(5348)
The Myth of the Strong Leader by Archie Brown(5236)
The Slight Edge by Jeff Olson(5198)
Discipline Equals Freedom by Jocko Willink(5154)
The Motivation Myth by Jeff Haden(4996)
Stone's Rules by Roger Stone(4852)
The Laws of Human Nature by Robert Greene(4770)
