Doing business in the ‘new way’, means working with clients that get you, what you’re all about and how you can help them in immeasurable and incredible ways. But, in order to do that, we have to ensure you’re a ‘hot’ CEO, and I’m not talking about your looks. Here’s what I do mean
1. You have taken 100% responsibility for the success of you and your business. (period!)
2. You are absolutely, positively clear on the kinds of clients you want to work with & the ones you don’t.
3. You NEVER accept clients who give you that little niggly feeling when you meet them, no matter what they’re offering to pay you, or how your mind tries to justify why ‘maybe’ it could work. (Don’t second guess your initial moment of intuition.)
4. You make NO apologies for designing your business and your life to match your natural and optimal way of operating.
5. You have tools ready to use any time you have an emotional reaction towards a prospect who doesn’t fit your model so that you are not overtly affected by them.
6. You are willing to always be engaging in business development activities so that you are never in a position where putting food on the table comes at the expense of taking on clients who don’t fit you or your model.
7. You graciously accept and give thanks for referrals but still don’t accept the referral as a client if they don’t fit your model – no matter who sent them your way.
8. You do not accept poor treatment, aggressive attacks on your credentials or having to justify yourself. If they don’t know how brilliant you are – it’s not your job to convince them.
9. You follow the FIFO model. Fit in or F!%& off. And this is not to be mistaken for being a bitch (or asshole for guys.) This is so that you build a tribe of like-minded clients and leave those who will be energy drains to find their own tribe where they fit. It’s not about making them wrong, it’s simply about being clear on who you accept as a client, and who you don’t.
10. You have an unwavering belief that there is more than enough, in fact an abundant supply, of clients who are a perfect fit for you and your model.
Like some of you, I learned this lesson the hard way (or should I say through experience). In the early days of my business, (especially having come out of a corporate environment where the mantra was ‘the customer is always right’) I accepted all kinds of people as clients, most of whom did not fit me or my model. I spent more time convincing them of why I was capable of doing what I knew to do, instead of being brilliant and creating synergy in working together. I would be drained by the end of the day, and from time to time lie in bed at night, questioning myself and my abilities. Though I would not trade this experience because it gave me so many gifts in learning how I did not want to be in my business and in my life, I do hope my experience will save you some dark moments of inner questioning.
YOU are absolutely positively the most exceptional YOU there is, right now, in this moment! There is a slough of people, prospects and potential clients waiting for you to OWN exactly, precisely what you do, and who you do it for. The more clear you are, the stronger your honing device becomes and before you know it, there will be a line up out your door of eager peeps wanting to work with you.
Become the HOT CEO and enjoy the rewards of building a like-minded, soul-centred tribe full of synergistic abundance.
Happy life!
Remember: to get what you’ve never had, you must do what you’ve never done.
Heather White is a business development advisor who helps clients strike the sweet spot between grounded self-care and accelerated profitability. A sought-after speaker and trainer, Heather travels throughout North America injecting vital energy into companies with a vigorous drive for expansion.
