I recently emailed a prospect at 4:15 p.m. on a Friday:
“Signing off now for the weekend but will be in touch.”
On Monday, I checked my email and read his response:
“I love that you sign off for the weekend. I strongly encourage and support that amongst friends & colleagues. Enjoy!”
That email stopped me in my tracks.
He wasn’t just tolerating the fact that I wasn’t working on the weekend.
He was celebrating it.
It made me think of a recent assignment from my business coach:
We were asked to list and rate our best, current clients.
And to describe the qualities that made them ideal.
Why?
Knowing our best client matches means we can identify and attract others like them.
But there’s something else: if we’re working with our ideal prospects and clients, we’re having a heck of a lot more fun.
I want to work with great people.
I want to have fun growing my business.
So, I picked up my list and thought about what made these clients stand out:
They’re friendly.
We laugh together (especially at my jokes).
They’re loyal; they’ve been with us for months or years.
They appreciate the work we do and say thank you.
They understand that we have families and personal obligations.
That weekends and evenings are sacred.
They make requests and not demands.
They pay on time without nudging.
They view us as a partner in their business.
They give feedback with kindness and grace.
As my business has matured over the last 3 years, I’ve become ultra-clear on who we serve (businesses) and what we do (flat fee legal).
That’s great.
But it’s not enough.
In order to enjoy growing my business, I need to enjoy the people themselves.
That means getting clear on the type of client I want to work with and screening against that filter.
After all, sometimes we get caught up in the top line and we say yes to the wrong clients.
Even though we had a hunch.
A feeling that something was off.
And then one day you find your stomach sinking when an email from you-know-who lands in your inbox.
Friends, we spend so much of our lives at “work”.
I don’t want to work with you-know-who.
I want to work with people who are friendly, considerate and pleasant to work with.
So, for the person who sent me that reply, thank you.
Even as a prospect, you had the makings of a great client.
No surprise then that as a client, you’ve been a delight.
Cheers to more fun.
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