What do you do when you have a client that doesn’t pay on time? Or they never reply… or they don’t respect your boundaries?
Can you “train” them to be a better client? Or should you fire them?
A few weeks ago, I asked readers to select their least-favorite client behaviors. Here’s what they chose:
“Inconsistent workload” being the biggest complaint...
Closely followed by “Undervaluing my expertise” and “Bad communication.”
Sound familiar?
The good news is…
You can definitely train some clients, if you start early and set the right precedents.
But it’s kind of like training a dog, in that it’s less about training them and more about training yourself.
For example…
I’ve been teaching my dog, Fanny, to stop at crosswalks. I tell her to sit then give her a treat.
But now she sits wherever she wants – often in the middle of the block – and expects a treat! (Of course, I give her one… which perpetuates this habit, which happens to be adorable.)
Clients, like dogs, are creatures of habit. So whatever habits you establish -- good and bad -- become your reality.
So, yes, you can train some clients.
But some clients can’t be trained. And if you have one of those, it’s time to find better ones.
Watch this week’s final “Minisode” in my “Where Are All The Good Clients” series to hear me expand on how to train your good clients to be better…
And how to find better clients when you need them:
As AI becomes a bigger part of our lives and work, it’s more important than ever to find clients who value:
- Your innate creativity
- The high quality you bring to your projects
- Your emotional intelligence and humanness
Wouldn’t it be awesome if all of your clients valued you for… you?
Of course it would, but how do you find them? You can’t do a Google search for “un-annoying clients who value me.”
But you can do that with AI – if you give it the right info.
Finding better clients is about:
- Giving yourself a larger pool of prospects to choose from
- Starting with better choices from the get-go
And, after months of experimenting, I’ve found that AI is the perfect tool to help.
If you think about it, AI is the best research tool and listening device ever created.
It can help you make a list of criteria for your ideal client and then, when you feed it that list, it can give you a list of people who fit that criteria.
It can then tell you what pain points to address in your marketing to show your best prospects that you understand what they need, too.
That’s what will make them choose you over your competitors – and over AI itself!
I’m excited to tell you all about it - and show you some of my experiments - at my Potential Clients On Tap with AI LIVE Event.
It’s coming up this Wednesday, May 29, from 12-1pm ET.
And nearly 1,300 creative professionals are already signed up!
Are you coming? Register here.
When you join me live, you’ll also hear about my brand-new course on using AI to help you drum up a list of clients anytime you need them… and get access to amazing bonuses and discounts ONLY available when you join live!
It’s completely free to join - sign up here.