The best way to avoid nightmare clients.


You cannot afford to be like everyone else.

No client is perfect.

But, some seem to be sent from the depths of Hell with the sole purpose of making your life miserable.

While it may seem this way, don't fall for the mistake of believing that some clients are just nightmares you have to endure. It's a little narrative that absolves you of the responsibility you have to the client/provider dynamic.

I'm a big fan of taking total responsibility. Even when a client is legitimately being an idiot, I find it most useful to still ask:

"What can I do differently next time to improve my situation?"

The easy answer is to avoid clients who aren't a good fit for you in the first place.

But, how do you figure this out?

Do you have to endure a bunch of painful experiences with bad clients?

Not necessarily.

The problem is: most founders are scared to do what it takes to avoid the painful experiences.

It sounds silly, right?

Why would they risk inviting bad clients into their lives if they could help it?

Well, because all of life is trade-offs.

And attracting only the right clients to you means you must simultaneously do something else:

Repel the bad clients from you.

This is what most founders are afraid to do.

When they started, they were in "take anybody" mode. After all, a business can survive client friction.

It cannot survive running out of cash.

And this, my friend, is where most founders get stuck.

Here's what high-friction clients get you:

  • Pain and frustration
  • Lower-quality outcomes
  • Lower profitability
  • More high-friction clients

I'm telling you right now:

This is normal in business. It's also normal for 90% of them to fail.

The LAST THING you want to do is be normal.

So, let's look at what you can do differently.

  1. Have total confidence in your definition of your Ideal Client
  2. Know precisely how your values align with theirs
  3. Tap into the beliefs that you both share
  4. Build exactly the service that gives them what they want
  5. Make competition irrelevant by becoming their "only" choice
  6. Design the narratives and offer that make everything clear
  7. Validate that you're the right choice when they call you

In short:

Establish the Perfect Positioning in your Ideal Client's mind.

If you've spent as much time as I have working with business leaders, you'll agree that very few of them have the list above figured out.

They're the ones who have no confusion regarding who is and who is not a good fit.

In fact, they often share a "you need to qualify to be my client" vibe that leads to them dominating their markets and making it look easy.

This vibe demonstrates confidence, clarity, and an honesty that shows the client that you're also serious about being a good fit for them.

  • It establishes trust
  • It reinforces authority
  • It demonstrates exclusivity
  • It eradicates any hints of desperation

You know how valuable these are.

Now, the big question:

"How do I pull off that list?"

I'm glad you asked.

Because that list is exactly what I've taught my clients to do over the last 20 years.

And I now have a program that will teach you how to do the same by the end of the summer. You'll learn life-long skills for an investment that equals roughly one average-budget client.

If you're interested in becoming a Founding Member of my new program, check out this link and sign up for a call.

I'm serious about capping it to just 15 students, and spots are filling up.

Sign up, and I'll walk you through how the program works and how you'll build a roster of high-quality clients who make your life so much easier.

– Torrey

113 Cherry St #92768, Seattle, WA 98104-2205
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Torrey Dawley

I upset conventional business thinkers. Branding & business for creative founders in the New Economy. Lessons from my experience operating Sandpaper Studio since 2006.

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