3 S’s of Client Compatibility

Anyone just starting out, or even those that have been around the block a few times often end up spending a lot of time with clients that are…well…duds. Let’s face it, we don’t necessarily want to take the time out of our day to meet with someone, tell them a whole bunch of stuff, and please them if there nothing in it for us.

There’s nothing wrong with that either – sometimes you just have to be selfish. You have to pay rent, buy food and gas, and let’s not forget the new built LS2 with 450 horsepower and 470ft lbs. of torque you want to drop into your Camaro.

Ok…maybe not the last one, but the point is we need money. In business, the less time you can spend on making more money, the more efficient you become. In order to do that though, you have to learn to weed out the duds.

What I have here isn’t a perfect system, but it should help you find a good stable client that will be ready to work with you right away.

So here goes…

Are They are Searching for you?

Think about it. How much easier can the job get if your client is actually looking to hire someone with your skillset? That’s a lot easier then cold calling or emailing someone about how they need your service.

If they are already searching for you, it’s the best of both worlds. They want someone with your talent, and they’re ready to pay for it. Jump on the deal!

Are They Stable?

This one’s a big one. I know plenty of people, myself included, that have started work with a client only to have some mystical event happen that renders that client either unable to pay or makes them think they no longer need you without completing the agreed upon terms and conditions.

It sucks big time.

It’s even worse when you’re relying on their money *AHEM* your money to pay bills.

If you have stable clients, your relationship with them will be long and highly beneficial to both of you. They can give you referrals, you can give them referrals, and your business relationship will be airtight.

If your clients aren’t stable who knows what could happen. They could decide not to pay, they could not be able to pay, they could go out of business next week or they could make millions and leave you in the dust.

It’s a little tricky to figure out which clients are financially stable and which ones aren’t, but I have a few tricks I like to use to find out. I generally ask questions about their future, next month, next year, etc. The ones that have a clear plan know what they’re doing. The ones that “hope” or don’t have a clear answer may be a bit shady.

Are They Sane?

This seems so simple yet it’s so often overlooked. The most important thing of deciding whether or not to work with a client is to make sure their not crazy.

There are a lot of crazy people out there, and you don’t want to go near them.

I had a lawyer client once that threatened to sue me because I couldn’t make his contact form email be “Clickable” on his phone so he could call without dialing the number.

Crazy business people are worse than regular crazy people. They don’t see the world in the same way you do, so they don’t play by the same rules. You may be trying to stay morally and ethically right, but while you plant flowers in the pretty little garden of niceness, they take a supped up lawnmower and do donuts on your daises “all in good fun”.

Not cool.

Crazy people aren’t the kind of people you’ll want to go into business with. And the real crazy ones, you don’t even want to stop doing business with them because they scare you.

The best option is to just not ever start the relationship in the first place.

Make sure they’re not crazy!

So that’s it then

This simple system should give you some insight into what you should look for when you are looking to take on new clients. It’s by no means perfect, and there are a lot of other qualities you’ll want to make sure your clients have, but at least this way you’ll get a sane paying client to work with.

So what about you? Any more tips on starting successful relationships with quality clients?

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