Your Problem Clients: a Blessing in Disguise

December 27, 2007 | Leave a Comment

How many “problem” clients do you have?

You know, the ones that call all the time. The ones that are never satisfied. The ones that always pay you late…

Well, my problem clients used to annoy me.

Until I discovered how to turn them into real opportunities to improve my business and my income.

I do it by using a muscle I don’t pay nearly enough attention to… at all.

In fact, it’s probably the least used muscle in most people’s bodies.
Actually, it’s not really a muscle. It’s a whole lot more powerful than that.

What I’m talking about is your IMAGINATION.

And not many people have one these days. Even fewer people use the one they’ve got.

After all, we weren’t taught to have an imagination. We were taught NOT to have one.

“Look at what everyone else around you is doing and act accordingly.”

“Don’t step out of line.”

“Make sure you fit in.”

Little did anyone know that those are the absolute worst skills for business. Sure, you’ll blend in… and go broke in the process.

And without an imagination, you’ll be stuck working for problem clients for a very long time.

So how do you use your imagination to uncover the opportunity hiding in your problem clients?

Simple.

Every time you figure out you’re working with a “problem client,” you simply ask yourself this question:

“What would my business have to look like to make sure this never happens again?”

Then just let your imagination go. If you work on it, you’ll find your answer.

It sounds very simple. Almost too simple. And it is. But it is also extremely powerful.

Here’s a quick example from my own business. NOTE: My example has to do with a prospect, not a client. I don’t want to give you any ideas about my problem clients, simply because I don’t want to influence YOUR imagination about how to deal with yours.

Your imagination will come up with the right solution for you.

So back to my example…

One of the things that really makes me mad, is when a prospect strings me along for weeks before making a decision about a proposal I’ve submitted.

Common sense will tell you that stuff like this is simply the cost of doing business. I choose to ignore common sense. Dealing with time wasting prospects simply isn’t how I’m going to run my business.

So it finally hit me one day that this was my fault. It was my fault for putting up with lazy behavior like this on the part of my prospect.

He contacted me. I gave him the information he wanted. It was time for a decision. But no decision happened… I called, I wrote. Nothing.

So I sat down and used my imagination to come up with a solution to keep this from happening.

Here’s what I do now:

My goal with a prospect is to get a decision. It is not to sell.

I have a time table I follow to get the decision. And I make it clear when I want the decision and what will happen if I don’t get one.

I make it clear I don’t really care what the decision is. Either way, I’m moving forward and working with someone.

That’s a small example, but hopefully you can use it to get your imagination going.

You can make your own “problem clients” a thing of the past.

Just fire up your imagination. Imagine your business without them. Then take the steps you see in your mind to create that business.

And if you think you’re putting your imagination to its fullest use in your business…

I’m confident you haven’t even begun to scratch the surface.

Because once you do, your true genius will make its way out into the world. And once that happens, you’ll be unstoppable.

Now imagine that.

Posted by Jason | Filed Under Blog

Are You Making These Website Mistakes?

December 26, 2007 | Leave a Comment

Most businesses these days have a website they use to (hopefully) attract clients.

But for many of them, a website is nothing more than a monthly expense. But that can be changed. Here’s a report I recently published that highlights the top 10 website mistakes most business owners are making.

Which ones are YOU making?

Top Ten Website Mistakes: Download (69)

Posted by Jason | Filed Under Blog

How to Dig for Gold

December 25, 2007 | Leave a Comment

Back when I was a car salesman (ssshhh… don’t tell anyone), there was always a joke about people who came onto the lot looking for a [INSERT COLOR] car.

“I want a [INSERT COLOR]… car,” they’d say.

The joke on the car lot was this: despite what they asked for, they almost NEVER left with the color car they wanted.

Sounds odd. But time and time again, it proved to be true.

And it’s the same for your clients.

They come to you for what they think they want.

You sell them what they need.

And the more needs you uncover, the more you can potentially sell them.

Their needs are the gold that is hiding in their business.

How do you uncover the gold?

You get on the phone and ask them about their business.

And when you spot obvious troubles or big opportunities, you say something very simple:

“Tell me more about that…”

And then you shut your mouth and LISTEN.

Want to hear an example?

Listen to the audio below. You’ll hear an excerpted version of a long “digging for gold” call I did with a client.

As you go through the audio (certain details have been removed due to confidentiality), notice the questions I ask, and notice what I am doing most of the time: I’m NOT talking.

It took me a while to realize, but I don’t get paid for talking… I get paid for listening and leveraging what I learn to make money for both of us.

Remember, you get long term clients by consistently uncovering more value that you can deliver. And the more potential value you uncover, the bigger your paycheck and the longer the project will be. The value is hiding, you just have to dig it out.

Digging for Gold [70:15m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (27)

Posted by Jason | Filed Under Blog

How to Double Your Copywriting Fees with 5 Sheets of Paper

December 23, 2007 | Leave a Comment

Here’s a short presentation specifically targeted to copywriters, but it can be just as valuable for anyone selling professional services:

Download the Sample Proposal

Posted by Jason | Filed Under Blog

Waiting for your clients? Don’t.

December 16, 2007 | Leave a Comment

Ever had a client take a whole lot longer to “get started” than you were led to believe?

Me too.

In fact, right now I’m waiting on 2 of them. For projects I know are coming. It’s just a matter of when. Two projects that represent about $13,000 in potential business I would like to get moving on.

But what I would like isn’t really the point. And in the eyes of my clients, they probably don’t really care.

My role is to help their business. To help them make money. Their role is not to help me any more than they must for me to help their business.

It’s really quite simple. And in their shoes, I’d probably have the same goal. Actually, I know I would.

So what do you do in a situation like this?

You move on. You create more opportunities. You create more prospects. After all, they’re not clients until the money is in the bank.

Here’s what I always try to remember…

In the end, clients are looking out for themselves and that’s it. If they weren’t, then there would be something wrong. Because they’d be unlike every other human being on the planet.

It’s every man for himself. It sounds harsh, but it’s just simple reality.

Posted by Jason | Filed Under Blog

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