Are You Letting Fear Be Your Guide for Bringing In New Business?

4 Tips for Overcoming Fear and Attracting Clients You Love

When money feels scarce, our first instinct is to panic and take new business wherever, and however, we can get it. When we do this, it causes us not only to compromise our integrity, but we also end up compromising how we deliver our services to the clients.

How many times have each one of us said something like this:

“I have to take this new client. How do I know when - or if - someone else will come along? I need the money!”

...And how many times has that client turned out to be the devil incarnate?---All because we allowed our fear of not having enough money to be the dominant force in determining whether or not we should enter into that particular working relationship.

Fear can be a good thing as long as we don’t allow it to paralyze us. Courage is being able to look fear dead in the eye and move forward anyway. When you are in alignment with yourself and how you do business, business will always find you. You literally become a magnet.

Here are a few tips on how you can stay in alignment and attract the business that is right for you:

Identify a Market Segment You Enjoy Servicing. In every business there are always one or two types of businesses that you enjoy working with. Identify who they are and then search for the faucet that will bring you new business.

Just last month one of my mastermind members was in a panic at having lost 3 clients. Together, we brainstormed and identified the type of industry she enjoys working with and the most productive (and easiest) way to find a lot of those types of businesses.

Only one month later, she replaced each client she lost with two new accounts.*

2 for 1 – not bad!

What you need to know is this: Why was she so successful? When she met with these new prospects, her authenticity and enthusiasm when speaking with her favorite market segment came through. It was infectious.

*Psst…If you want to know exactly, step-by-step what she did, join the mastermind. You, too, can attract clients quickly and easily. Join us! *

Identify your Ideal Client. Who do you like to work with? What are they like? Write out in bullet or story format the characteristics of your ideal client. Be specific. Do they pay their bills on time, every time? Do they value and respect the services you provide? Are they businesses of integrity? Are they easy to work with or demanding? Are they organized or disorganized?

By identifying the characteristics of who you like to work with, it makes it much easier to ask the right questions in your initial interview with a prospect to determine if they are a fit for you and your services.

Hold Strong In How You Provide Your Services. Service businesses are built upon personal reputations so it’s important that you safeguard that reputation at all times – even if it costs you a new client. When you compromise in this area, it always comes back to bite you.

Last year, we were to begin working with a new client who insisted on using an online accounting software program that does not have the proper accounting controls. I explained my position on the program to this prospect and told him that if he insisted on using it, we would be happy to refer him to another service.

The monthly revenue from this account was quite generous, and had I allowed my fear of not receiving the money (which I wanted) dictate my decision to work with this client, I would have set myself up for a lot of headaches.

The prospect did end up working with my firm. Do you know why? Because I held strong and was clear about the best way to service my clients and my business. My client told me that this came across very clearly and gave him the confidence that I would hold the best interests of his business at the center of our working relationship.

Think about payroll companies. They have a specific way in which they do business. They don’t change their process for each new client but rather let the new client choose the option that works best for them. You can do the same thing.

Visualize a Happy Outcome. If you can see yourself signing two new clients, you will begin working with two new clients. It is a proven fact that our focus becomes our reality. So, why focus on the negative when a positive outcome is so much more enjoyable?

Static visualization doesn’t work for me. My mind wanders, and then I get frustrated because I’m not properly visualizing. Instead, I create a movie in my head. I see myself and my new client smiling at one another. I see them signing on the dotted line and writing me a check for the initial deposit to begin work. I see them calling me on the phone and asking me a question just to get my opinion and input. You get the idea.

When you visualize this way, it keeps you involved and engaged, and you’ll feel as though anything is possible.

Visualizing is also a great way to keep yourself from taking that client out of desperation…imagine the headaches!

Yes, they say economic times are tough – but by being in business for yourself, you can create your own economy. Just keep these tips in mind as you acquire new clients, and watch your business boom.

© 2009 SUMSOLUTIONS LLC. All Rights Reserved.

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