Clients

Are You Going to Make the Upset Client Worse?

She’s upset. She’s blaming you. Things aren’t going as planned. Here’s the deal: She works in an IT job. She’s doing very well. Her company is growing like crazy and opening a new facility on the other side of the country. She’s been offered a position in the new place, and it’s a promotion. It’s [...]

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Should You Allow Mom in Your Consultation?

You’re doing an initial consultation this morning. You’re in your best suit, and the office is straightened up. She arrives at the front desk, and you walk out to the lobby and greet her. She stands up, and so does her mother. Her mother? That wasn’t part of the plan. She’d like to bring momma [...]

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How to Deal with a Crying Client

Clients cry in our offices. It’s pretty common. Some cry a little; some cry continuously. Some can talk while crying, while some just completely shut down and lose it. What do you do? First off, be sure you have a box of tissues on the table. We’ve got a checklist for refreshing our conference and [...]

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How Clients Are Like Airplanes

Airplanes need lots of runway to come to a stop. There’s a lot of energy and power associated with dropping out of the sky, and it needs to dissipate. That’s why runways are usually more than two miles long. Clients also come with a great deal of energy and power. Our clients aren’t always happy [...]

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Phone Calls Aren’t Phone Calls to Clients

I make phone calls all day long. No one I call ever answers. I leave voicemail after voicemail, and I wait for a call back. I’m good with that system. That’s what I expect. In fact, I don’t really start to wonder about the call again for a day or two. I don’t think about [...]

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“I Can’t Afford You”

Some prospective clients come right out and say it: “I can’t afford you.” Others are more subtle and simply say “I’ll have to think about it” or “I’m going to discuss it with my family.” In some instances, the clients really mean you haven’t explained the value of your services. You failed to persuade the [...]

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The Sophisticated Client Often Isn’t

There’s a certain kind of initial consultation I love. It’s with people who own a business, understand finance, and appear to have some objectivity about what happened and is happening in their marriage. They’re sophisticated, capable of analysis, and thoroughly in control of their environment. They’re kind of mini-Masters of the Universe. They get it. They [...]

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Note from a Client about Trust

I called you, and you took two days to call me back. I went a little nuts when you called back. I was angry that it took you so long to call. Yes, you were busy. You had a good excuse for taking so long. Why did I lose it? Why did I leave you 8 [...]

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