Not everyone is right for you.
There are lots of people who might think they're right for you.
But, what do you think?
If you haven't defined what "right" means, you're going to keep attracting and taking on anyone who shows up. At best, these people might might turn out OK to work with, but they never help you attract truly great clients. At worst, they might be evil Lizard People who are hell-bent on draining the very life force from you and your business.
Facetious as I may be, this is how it feels. And, yet, this is where most business founders are right now. Not good. Let's walk through how to avoid or fix that.
Your goal is to establish Client Standards.
These are standards that help you qualify and disqualify the prospects that come to you.
Most founders (myself included) start out with an "I'll take any work that flows my way" attitude. And this is fine at the start. If you don't have any cash flow, you're screwed. So there's that. You also don't have much experience. That makes it difficult to know exactly who is and isn't a good fit for you. It's impossible to avoid this completely.
But, most founders never grow out of this phase. They form habits around their "take anything" attitude. Then, they either keep putting up with crap clients until they inevitably quit in frustration or find themselves debating that raging alcoholism is fine, because "at least it's not meth."
Some of the more savvy founders might trick themselves into believing that they can just farm out the crap client work to employees or subcontractors, thus removing themselves from dealing with said crap clients. Notwithstanding the ethical friction arising from "I'll just screw my employees, haha!", it simply doesn't work this way.
First, it's the lamest cope ever. There are great clients with big budgets who need your help, but you keep wasting time with the crap ones because "money"?
Second, because your business needs examples of serving great clients in order to attract more great clients. Turns out, you get more of what you're known for.
This is where the standards come in to save the day. Defining your own Client Standards:
- Clearly highlights who is and isn't a good fit for you
- Repels people who suck
- Attracts people who are awesome
- Frees up your mental bandwidth to focus on more important things in your business
- Helps you sleep at night knowing you didn't fire your boss to start your own business, only to end up working for 15 bosses who are even worse
It's like any other form of boundary-setting that helps you navigate through life. Why would your business be any different?
There are five cornerstones for establishing your own Client Standards. They work together to form a pentagonal fortress around your business and brand. I'll walk you through how each of these works, then I'll describe your next steps.
Values
A shared set of values has been the bedrock of religions, nations, and tribes of all kinds since the dawn of humanity. The rules don't magically change in business. And I can promise you this: Everything about business gets a whole lot easier when you and your clients align on the fundamental values that matter most to you both.
Defining your values is an exercise that narrows down the 3-5 most fundamental value sets that you would never compromise under any circumstances. For example, if Trust is one of your fundamental values, then there's nothing anyone could do to make you lie and violate someone's trust. Or maybe Independence is a core value. You'll fight like hell to avoid any situation where you're under the thumb of someone else's control. The ultimate point is to highlight the values that are most relevant to you and your ideal client.
Beliefs
Beliefs are ideas that you hold to be true. There's always a level of subjectivity to them. What you believe is not the same as what I believe. But, if we believe in the same things, this forms a mutual perspective that can form the basis for a strong relationship. Imagine a conversation on a flight next to a stranger. Among small talk, you casually mention "I believe the world is going to end on November 12, 2027."
"What!?" the stranger exclaims. "I believe the world is going to end on November 12, 2027 too!"
And, just like that, a new cult is born. I'm being silly here, but the point is that beliefs are fundamental to the way humans relate to each other. In the business world, things like "We believe that radically honest communication is the foundation of great relationships" sends a signal to others to either see value in you or avoid you. You win regardless, by the way.
The key is to define your core beliefs that are relevant to you, your craft, your industry, and the people you most want to serve. Then, you inject your beliefs in to your marketing, content, and correspondence.
Vision
One of your most important roles as a founder is setting the vision for the future of your business endeavor. I cannot emphasize this enough: Most founders are experiencing a terrible state of reactivity that makes them feel overwhelmed and lacking control. They feel this way, because it's true. When you refuse to take the reins, someone else will. Usually, this is bad clients or just unfortunate circumstances that could have been prevented.
By establishing a clear vision for your brand and business, you pick the point on the map where you want to go and then you set your compass. You're asking questions like "What do want everyone to know that you stand for?" and "What is the most important difference you want to make for your clients?" The answers to these questions will reveal your current advantages and will clearly define the gaps you need to fill. I'd make a joke here about gaining 20/20 vision, but that joke would suck. So, onto Personality.
Personality
You don't like to hang out with people whose personalities annoy you in every day life. Why would you accept this just because they offered to pay you? Look, there are thousands and thousands of people out there right now who would be the perfect fit for you and also happen to have handfuls of cash that they'll throw at you just for funsies. In order to align with them, you need to define your own brand personality. This isn't some exercise in making up some fictitious persona. It's literally about defining what's natural and desired for you.
The practice I use for my clients involves a series of sliders that help them understand where they exist along a spectrum of fundamental human traits. For example, serious -> playful, authority -> friend, or subtle -> loud.
There are no right or wrong answers. This exercise provides an incredible amount clarity, and it informs your every word and decision moving forward. Once again, it also helps you align with ideal clients and the team members you're going to need to reach your goals.
Narrative
We live in an era where content creation is non-negotiable. Even if you're building your empire on just a handful of clients like I did, you must leverage content to establish authority, tell stories that resonate, share your expertise, and attract high-value people to your network.
Look, maybe some people truly are the aforementioned Lizard People. Whatever. The rest of us? The rest of us are human. And humans love—and I mean freaking LOVE—narratives. Why? Because they provide context. And context provides meaning.
We're desperate for meaning. I don't care how clinical or corporate your market might be. You're still working with other humans, which means your narratives must speak to their professional AND personal needs. Once you deeply understand your Ideal Client, you know exactly what narrative topics resonate with them. With every word uttered, you're one step closer to the Holy Grail of them thinking that you simply "get" them.
If they feel that way about you, buckle up buddy. They won't let you go for as long as they feel this way.
Alright, those are the five cornerstones of Client Standards. I'm going to quickly mention how you communicate these, then we're going to land this trans-Atlantic idea-flight.
Client Standards are communicated through:
- Marketing
- Content
- Associations
- Offer
- Price Point
Everything you do or don't do... Everything you say or don't say... Everyone you hang out with or don't hang out with...
It all matters. The more you understand this and have control over it, the easier your life gets. And that certainly includes your business.
The entire point of establishing standards is to communicate them and reinforce them. Once defined, you can inject them into everything you do and even let them guide your decision-making.
Hey, speaking of good decisions: If you've enjoyed this tasty Client Standards appetizer and can see how important exercises like this are for your business, I have a recommendation for you.
Reply to this email and share your story.
Where are you on your business journey? Have you experienced clients who you suspect were interdimensional, shape-shifting entities who feed off the life force emanating from your likely rainbow-colored aura? Are you working hard every freaking day, but just hitting too many roadblocks?
I reply to everyone who emails, so hit me up.
Oh, and if you want more than just the theory behind establishing life-changing Client Standards or any of my dozens of exercises designed to take founders to the next level, hit the button below. Our new program is about to change some founders lives forever, and you might be a great fit.
Godspeed, fellow champion.
– Torrey
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