Since I started my entrepreneurship journey I have had great clients. In fact, in my 23-year career, they're the best I've ever had.
These are people I do not mind going the extra mile for, doing more than what is requested from me.
They push me out of my boundaries, forcing me to raise my game (e.g. Coming up with new coaching exercises and asking better questions). They make me a better entrepreneur coach.
It's a virtuous circle: The more demanding they are (in the right way), the better I must be, the more value they get, the more demanding they are, etc.
They know who they are. Thank you for your continuous trust.
It's not that the clients I had before launching my own coaching business were not good. Some of them were but it was more of a mix. Today, all my clients are fantastic.
What has changed you would ask? Well, I'm crystal clear about who I want to work with.
I started my entrepreneurship journey by defining my ideal client profile. I've stick to it since.
Of course, there has been some finetuning along the way, it's an ongoing process, but the core elements remain the same.
For instance: My clients are entrepreneurs, they're not CEOs of large corporations or non-business founders. Why? Because I speak the entrepreneurial language. I've always worked for entrepreneurs before becoming one myself. So, I'm in my comfort zone when I work with entrepreneurs.
"Everyone is not your customer" - Seth Godin.
Seth is right. It's the freedom I decided to allow myself from the start.
Yes, it's difficult to find my ideal customers because I'm carefully choosing them.
And, it's also very tempting to follow the cash opportunities. I've made that mistake several times before: Choosing a client based on the project value rather than based on its qualities.
The money was never worth it.
So what can you do to better select your clients?
In this video, I share the 3 steps to help you choose your clients better.
I believe carefully selecting your clients will provide long-term rewards that outbalance the short-term struggles you'll face in doing so.
I'm playing an infinite game. I want to develop long-term relationships with my clients. My wish is that in 20-year time, I'd still be working with them.
Imagine how much value we'd have created together during that time.
"Be client fit, not VC fit"
This is an advise from Dom Einhorn, the Founder and CEO of UniQorn Incubator-Accelerator on Inter:views episode 51. Because he knows that clients bring revenue, not VCs.
To conclude, here's a question for you: Wouldn't it be nice if you were only working with great clients?
If you answer yes, then you have some homework to do.
If you'd like some help to review your Ideal Client profile, send me a message and we'll arrange a chat: contact@laurentnotin.com