I get that you have a client services business, and these things happen from time to time, but they can’t be the norm.
A client thinks about their business and you should think about yours. You hopefully have multiple clients and you have your own business to run as well.
If you react, rather than plan ahead for client requests, you’ll be continually chasing down requests. Dedicate a day of the week or multiple days if needed, where your focus is on a specific client. Share that with them if you have to.
You’ll be surprised how receptive they will be when you tell them that you’ll look at this on Wednesday when you are working on their project.
Talking with your clients increases your valueThis leads me to the next thought and that it create boundaries and expectations. This may surprise you, but clients often will see the communication as a value. Simply by sharing with them your plan for the week when it comes to their work or sharing with them an inside look at the very beginning of working together how it will be goes a long way in creating a sense of a higher value for your services.
It shows a level of professionalism that they don’t get from someone else. Communication is what business owners want more than anything else. If you have clients asking you a status on something, then start re-thinking about how you are communicating with them.
Raise your rates
And finally my biggest tip when it comes to this that you are more likely undercharging what your worth.
If you land a project and halfway through that project you are already looking to get that next sale because you need the money, then something is wrong somewhere.
Either your expenses are too high, or that you aren’t charging enough for the time and experience you are putting into the project.
If you are asking for 50% up front and then find yourself eating ramen three-quarters of the way through the project, then you haven’t charged enough. That 50% should last you through the entirety of the project, so that the final payment is profit in your business.
Building profit in your business is a must. That profit should be re-invested in your business as a tool for growth and opportunity. Having a buffer, or profits, in your business allows you breathing room so there isn’t a need to constant need to always get that next project.
If you have a pipeline of leads in your business, the profits will allow you to make sure that you are only taking on clients that are right for you and the business. You don’t want to see
red flags and still take on those projects anyway.
That’s the surefire way to get stuck in the feast or famine cycle, I promise you.
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