One of the women I love to follow in my industry is Gina DeVee. Back in time, in one of her courses, I got advice to create a checklist that I could go through every time before signing a new client. I was puzzled as to why. For what reason?
Turned out it was meant to help make sure the person was one that I actually wanted to work with.
What a business changing idea!
I mean, of course I knew that as an entrepreneur I can choose my clients, but in reality I hadn’t thought through what that actually meant or how to do it.
So I wrote down six guidelines as a client checklist to guide me in making aligned decisions with whom to work. Want to know what they are?
Here you go.
My clients:
- show mutual respect
- appreciate and value our work
- are wealth conscious
- respect boundaries and honour made agreements
- are coachable and committed
- are honest and willing to drop the drama
- are up to big things in the world.
Since then, this list has become a mandatory guideline for all relationships and actions we engage in and create in my business. They’re the guidelines for our company culture.
We have a business manual, or a playbook if you will, in which each part is opened up in more detail, so it’s easy to refer back to it, if needed.
And you know what?
Usually when something’s not quite working, when we look back, we notice that we’ve skipped either the whole checklist or parts of it. If only we’d gone through the list, we wouldn’t be in whatever the mess we’re then in.
This list, for example, is one of the major reasons for me letting go of many of my old clients about a year ago. What once had been good, didn’t serve its purpose anymore. For any party involved.
Naturally, it was scary, too. But in hindsight, if I hadn’t had the courage to let go of the good, I wouldn’t have made the room for the better that I now get to enjoy.
One thing’s for sure. Creating the checklist has been one eye-opening journey. And it keeps on giving.
Have you created yours already?
What’s included in it? How has it affected your business?
And if you haven’t, hope this inspires you to do so.
Let me know.
Much love,
Paula
xx