I am a Certified Social Media Manager, Strategist, International Keynote Speaker, Organic Specialist and Agile marketer! Blogging is my creative outlet. Running, hiking and skiing are how I recharge. You’ll recognize me on stage and online by my always present orange glasses, a nod to my Dutch heritage.
Is this a weird question?
Or should we ask this instead:
‘Do you actually select your clients, or do you just take on any project, any freelance job, any client that comes your way, regardless of whether it is a good fit or not?'
If there is some sort of selection process with regards to finding and signing the best clients, what does that process look like?
Are you selecting clients based on
or are you taking on any client that comes your way?
If you don't have any sort of selection process in place yet – and we've found that many new social media managers start out taking any job, any client and any project that comes their way – read on to learn more about how you can spot red flags, so to speak, to prevent working with clients who are just not right for you!
Before you can identify who you do not want to work with, you need to know who you do love to work with!
Ask yourself these two questions:
“Who are my best clients?” and
“What do I love about my clients?”
Make a list, why don't you?
Do you love their
Once you have created this list, arrange these traits in order of importance to you and your business goals! You might value the ability to listen higher than office space, perks or technical knowledge, but what you admire most is maybe work ethic. Whatever it is that attracted you to this ideal client in the first place, is what you want to find and duplicate in subsequent clients if at all possible.
Keeping this list handy on your computer, or in a note on your phone, will be of great value the next time you are tempted to sign on a less-than-ideal client.
Let's face it; we've all been there and done that and instantly regretted it, right?!
Now that you have this list of things you love about your clients, let's identify a few types of clients you might want to avoid.
Let us make this clear first.
For every client out there, there is a marketer that can help!
What you want to avoid is taking on someone who you will regret working with.
Don't sign clients who you don't have respect for, or who in turn, don't respect you, value your time, your input, your strategy, your business philosophy and how you conduct your business.
If you are:
You know yourself best. Things that rub you the wrong way from the start of a client relationship will most likely not change after you've signed a contract. Be honest with yourself about what you are willing to tolerate or compromise on.
In our Social Media Managers Facebook group, this ‘red flagging' of potential clients recently came up in a discussion about breach of contract and non-payment. It was suggested we produce a ‘red flag client' article as a follow up to ‘The Best Way To Collect Money From Your Non-Paying Client‘.
The team at Social Media Pro likes to stay positive!
Social media management is an amazing career choice and offers great opportunities and benefits. Social media management is an extremely flexible career for those willing to learn new skills and/or looking to work from home.
Instead of writing an article titled ‘When You See These Red Flags, Run Away From This Client', we feel this one paragraph dedicated to this issue is enough, and then we want to be done with it.
Again, for every client out there, there is a marketer that can help!
Now we are ready to reveal some red flags to look for during a discovery call.
Scenario: You set up a 30-minute discovery phone call with a potential client who came to you through inbound marketing. You have confirmed the appointment 24 hours in advance of this call. Everything is on track and you are excited about this call.
Red Flags: The potential client…
If it doesn't feel right, most likely it isn't the right fit! Trust your gut and only work with people you respect.
There will always be another potential client coming your way. Just say “next”!
If you already have awesome clients… ?
Nurturing your client relationships will benefit your business as retention marketing pays off huge dividends.
It pays to keep clients happy!
Ways to keep your current clients happy include
The selection process of finding your ideal client doesn't always go as planned. However, knowing yourself and understanding what type of client you serve best will help you find the best clients!
If you have the best clients, feel free to brag a little and let us know why they are so amazing; leave us a comment!
I am a Certified Social Media Manager, Strategist, International Keynote Speaker, Organic Specialist and Agile marketer! Blogging is my creative outlet. Running, hiking and skiing are how I recharge. You'll recognize me on stage and online by my always present orange glasses, a nod to my Dutch heritage.
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I am a Certified Social Media Manager, Strategist, International Keynote Speaker, Organic Specialist and Agile marketer! Blogging is my creative outlet. Running, hiking and skiing are how I recharge. You’ll recognize me on stage and online by my always present orange glasses, a nod to my Dutch heritage.