Recently one of my clients backed off just when I thought things were looking up , social media presence was up , engagement was high and now it looked the sales funnel would kick in as we identified the niche and the product offering.
And yet the client backed off , why ? “Don’t have the funds and sales have not yet happened so I am unsure of the future.”
I was disappointed, things were just falling into place and looking up . It had just been three months since we began working on the account and we had even compromised on our fees .
So what did I learn ?
1. WHO : This is the most important question, clearly decide who is your client for the product or service you wish to offer .
In this case even before I took on the client I knew that the budgets were tight and social media needs time to build presence , but I had made the mistake of taking on the business.
Looking back I would rather focus on clients who were in it for the long haul rather than let’s see what happens.
2. EXPECTATIONS : It’s important to set clear expectations . Building a brand on social media is a long term game and if the client was not ready to play for the long run , I could just have avoided taking on the client .
This is also fair for the client as they are clear of what to expect . Being optimist is good but it needs to match reality.
3. LET GO : You could make a mistake in the client you picked up but as soon as you realise that something is not clicking take a quick decision and let go . It saves time and effort for everyone .
Let go of clients ;
1. Who don’t see value and are not willing to pay for the value you add . Better focus on those that see value .
2. Who do not commit to what it takes to succeed . If you are not well and you refuse to take the pill the doctor advised, you cannot blame the doctor. Either convince the client on importance of following the plan and if they yet refuse , just get out.
It is important to FOCUS you have limited time and resources . You cannot be everything to everyone.
I feel It’s a good learning to “LET GO OF BUSINESS/ CLIENTS THAT THAT ARE NOT COMMITTED TO CREATE MUTUAL VALUE.”
#Passionproject
Sanjay Mudnaney
50&Fab 