No matter how a prospective client finds you and your business, it is important that you qualify them to ensure you are a fit for one another.  Gone are the days where you think and feel that you don’t have a say in who you work with and how!

During the pre-screening process in my 8-step easy-to-use and easy-to-implement system, each party is interviewing the other and establishing their opinion about whether or not it makes sense to work together.  The way you interact with one another during this initial phase plays a large part in the tone of the working relationship should you both decide to work together.

The other factor that shapes the tone of the working relationship is the mindset you are operating from when speaking with a prospective client.  From the moment we begin interacting with a prospect the groundwork for the tone of that working relationship is being established.

The best mindset to be operating from is one of neutrality when interviewing a prospective client, keeping in mind that your sole objective is to determine whether or not you are a fit for working with one another.

Once you know that you are a fit for working with one another then and only then, is it time to turn your attention to moving the prospect to the next step which is either referring them to your bookkeeper network or scheduling a paid Bookkeeping Evaluation.

Want to know more?  Click here to learn more about my 8-step easy-to-use and easy-to-implement process on How to Qualify a Prospect & Work With Clients You Love!

When you receive a referral from a colleague, or a lead from one of the list directories, it is important that you qualify whether or not that individual and business and your firm are a fit for working with one another.

What do I mean by fit for working with one another? 

When your business needs and parameters within which you operate, are a match for the business needs and parameters within which the client operates. 

This means not trying to be everything to everyone! I know how talented people in our industry are which naturally translates into our being able to meet the vast and diverse needs of the businesses we work with.  The key to success is doing it in such a way that supports the way we operate our business.  Not constantly transforming ourselves to fit into the way our clients operate their businesses’.  And that success starts with your understanding:

□ What services your business offers

□ How those services are offered

□ Who you like to work with and why

Before I transformed my client base, I had no real understanding of those three critical elements which is why for every one client that I loved working with, I was working with two, who were making my life difficult.

Too often service providers place the needs their clients before their own.  Before long, find themselves endlessly working around the clock.  This only leads to burn out and resentment.  But it doesn’t have to be that way.

Think about outsourced payroll companies like ADP or PAYCHEX.  When you work with them, they explain to you their process for doing payroll. If you want to their services, you must prepare your payroll within their parameters.  Otherwise your staff won’t get paid.  Your freelance bookkeeping firm can require the same thing. 

Want to know more?  Click here to learn more about my 8-step easy-to-use and easy-to-implement process on How to Qualify a Prospect & Work With Clients You Love!

When I started my firm, it seemed that for every one client I loved to work with, there were two that I absolutely dreaded.  Each time I would see an email from them or hear the phone ring, I would cringe.

Being a firm believer that there is no such thing as coincidence, I knew on some level I was contributing, whether consciously or not, in bringing these clients into my life and that of my business.  That is when I learned that I had the power to change these circumstances and work with only clients that I loved.

I embarked on a journey of self-discovery and created these 8 easy-to-use and easy-to-implement steps on how to qualify a prospect and work with only clients that you love.  These very same steps can be used when hiring employees, subcontractors and vendors.

□ Step 1:  Set-up a scheduled time to speak with your prospective client via telephone
□ Step 2:  Send an email reminder with call instructions
□ Step 3:  Create a “New Lead” form for the call to capture important details and delegate tasks
□ Step 4:  Making the Call/Receiving the Call
□ Step 5:  Open your conversation with the “Pre-Call”
□ Step 6:  Ask your qualifying questions
□ Step 7:  Provide prospect with information about your company
□ Step 8:  Close your call by moving the prospect to the next step

Use these steps to qualify whether or not a prospect is a fit for you and your firm. 

Want to know more?  Click here to learn more about my 8-step easy-to-use and easy-to-implement process on How to Qualify a Prospect & Work With Clients You Love!
 

The first step to identifying your ideal client is to become crystal clear about whom it is, you are meant to serve.  When I first started my freelance practice, one of our services was after-the-fact bookkeeping.  I offered this service because I knew I and my staff were more than capable of providing this service.  But just because we were more than capable does not mean we should have been providing it. 

You see,  for my company, this service was a problem every way you looked at it – from clients not paying on time to not paying at all; work being submitted late, work not being submitted at all; clients not responding to our questions – you name it, it happened.  I was unhappy, my staff was unhappy and most importantly the write-up clients were not happy.  The point is just because you have the skill to provide a certain type of service does not necessarily mean you should offer that service.

Once I became clear that we should not be offering this service and who my ideal client was, I was able to communicate that in my marketing materials, 30-second speeches at networking events, and, on my website.  My ideal clients were able to see and identify themselves in my marketing message and how we could help them. In essence, we became magnetic. 

Want to know more?  Click here to learn more about my 8-step easy-to-use and easy-to-implement process on How to Qualify a Prospect & Work With Clients You Love!

Has that thought ever crossed your mind? 

Did you ignore that feeling in your gut?

The one that said, “Don’t do it, you’ll regret it.” 

Often the feeling is more subtle.  Something’s off, but you can’t tell what.  You need the client fees, but don’t see the train-wreck coming until after you work together.

For me, that thought happened one time too many.  It seemed for every one new client that I absolutely loved working with there were two that I absolutely dreaded. 

There is no such thing as coincidence.  I came to realize on some level that I was contributing, whether consciously or not, in bringing these clients into my life and my business.  That’s when I learned that I had the power to change these circumstances and to work with only those clients that I loved.

Ask yourself…

□ Who is my ideal client? 

□ What do they look like and what types of characteristics do they possess?

□ What four or five things they must have in order to work with me and my firm?

By defining the answers to these simple questions you will be well on your way to establishing the criteria against which you will measure a prospective client. 

Want to know more?  Click here to learn more about my 8-step easy-to-use and easy-to-implement process on How to Qualify a Prospect & Work With Clients You Love!