Can you see it? You’re almost at the finish line. You’ve identified a problem, developed a solution, and now you’re ready to get paid by your first client.
But, like many of us, when it’s time to go out and get your first few clients, it feels almost overwhelmingly impossible. *insert woozy face*
You start to tell yourself all the reasons why you can’t do it.
What if you’re not as good as you think?
What if they hate what you have to offer?
What if you can’t solve their problem?
What if they ask for their money back?
At the root of those what-ifs, when we think about our fear and holding ourselves out as a business (AKA imposter syndrome), a lot of it is based on perfectionism. And it’s important to remember that when you’re getting your first few clients, it’s okay if you’re not perfect because it’s not going to be perfect (is anything ever?).
Most of your first clients are going to be people you know. People you have relationships with. They’re excited to see you succeed so they wanna be honest in helping you make it better by giving you feedback. Some of that feedback will be positive while some of it will be constructive.
It’s important to view constructive feedback as a way to better your business.
Why? People aren’t going to be 1,000% satisfied, and your business isn’t going to be 1,000% perfect, but that feedback is a great resource to make another client’s experience even better.
It’s important to think about the client’s experience by putting yourself in their shoes. Put yourselves through your business process. Emails, automation, the works, and you might just find new ways to delight your clients and make your business extraordinary. If you don’t like going through your system, then they sure won’t.
So, here are some tips on sitting in the clients’ seat and really delighting them:
- Utilize discovery calls. When your client comes in, you want to gather as much information about a client upfront, so when scheduling those calls, automate everything. Use a scheduling link. Not only does it save the hassle of emailing them about setting a date and time, but it makes you appear accessible to work with.
- Make sure you see the person. If you’re wondering how you can make someone feel most seen, it looks like remembering important dates for your clients, checking in with them when they have important meetings coming up, or when they have an important speech. To put it simply, it’s PAYING ATTENTION.
- Don’t always involve money. It doesn’t always involve onboarding gifts or birthday gifts. It doesn’t have to involve money because, news flash, the highest form of delight can just be deeply seeing someone and being a value in their life that way.
Don’t let delight equate to lowballing your offer. Don’t let delight make you question whether the value that you offer is too high or too low for the price that you’ve set. Don’t let fear get in the way of helping your clients. You’re an expert simply because you know more than the person you’re helping. By definition, that makes you an expert in helping them and you can get them a result.
If you delight those first couple of clients, they are going to become anchor testimonials. They will be your loudest cheerleaders. They will be the top affiliates for your business. They will be your top everything. So, when you’re building your business, make sure that you’re focusing and thinking about how you can delight your first clients, how you can serve them, and how you can show up and make their lives easier. Cross that finish line. Be a business that adds value to their life and they’ll add value to yours.
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