I was talking with a friend a couple of months ago and he said something that really got me thinking, and subsequently got me making some changes in my business. He said, “I only work with people that I know I can win with.”
Those words played through my mind for a few weeks as I analyzed who I create the biggest wins with. Any business owner with integrity knows that in order to do great business, you’ve got to create client wins. We’ve all seen the other types of businesses where the owner only cares about their income, and doesn’t care if the clients are happy. But those types of businesses have a tendency to inflate quickly, and then the bubble bursts. (Usually through lawsuits.) I sincerely hope that my readers are not running their businesses that way.
However, even if you are conscious of wanting to create client wins, you will still benefit from this exercise. I want you to ask yourself these three questions.
- Who do you create the best wins for?
- What factors contribute to the win?
- When working with the right client, what additional wins can you create?
This was an eye opening experience for me. I realized that we were trying to create big wins for everyone that came through our doors. And while we do have very client focused programs, and a very high satisfaction rate from our clients, there was clearly a trend for who was winning most consistently.
Once we identify who we create the wins for, our next step is to shift our marketing to attract in the right clients. And we need to say no to the ones that we might not win with.
Here’s some case studies.
Business 1: This business owner runs a transmission shop. The owner is a very kind hearted person who loves to help. When he launched his business he had inhouse financing options. He knew the stress of having your car break down when you were tight on funds, and wanted everyone to be able to repair their vehicle. It sounds very altruistic and like it would create wins, but it just didnt. Those clients struggled with their payments. Sometimes they ended up being denied from the in house lender after they had already began working on the car. And there were more unhappy clients coming from that group of people than anyone else. The solution was to stop offering financing to people, let them come up with their own, or turn them away. Client satisfaction went up as soon as they stopped working with the people they could not create wins with.
Business 2: This coaching company had a mission to strengthen families. A program for teenagers seemed like a natural extension of the workshops they had for teenagers. They could fill a room full of 100 teenagers pretty easily. The events were fun, high energy, and uplifting for the teams. But, they were not successful in getting the teens or their parents to purchase any additional coaching or support. When the company analyzed which clients had the biggest wins, it was the clients who moved on to additional coaching and support. The teenager class was fun, but not life changing. The solution was to allow teenagers to come to the same event as the parents, have a fun and uplifting experience, and offer the parents the opportunity to engage in continuing coaching and support. One this change was made, families started to change.
As I’ve looked that this concept for my business, I’ve realized that I create the best wins with clients who are ready to scale their business. They have their message and product in place. They are selling, they are marketing and they have a functional business, but they are ready for growth. This is my sweet spot where I create the biggest wins.
Once you find your sweet spot where you can do GREAT business by creating client wins, it’s time to stop serving people that aren’t a great fit. It may be scary in the beginning. You may need some time to transition. But let me tell you, it feels great to tell someone, “I don’t think I’m a fit for what your business needs right now.” When we try to serve everyone, we end up with the client wins being fewer and farther between. My advice for big wins in 2017 is to get clear on who you win with!