There’s probably something in your life history that you’d like to hide or at least gloss over. Something in my history that I know turns folks off is my short tenure at many jobs — I can think of at least four jobs that I’ve held during my professional career that lasted less than a year. This is a major no-no for most folks looking to hire. “Why would I invest time developing someone if they’re just going to jump ship?”
But yesterday I had a great conversation with one of my clients. They’re considering bringing me in-house. My resume, though, was definitely a wild card: my client had written in the margins the length of time at each company.
Here’s the thing, though: we had an open conversation about it. I illuminated what lied beneath the jumping; he cared enough to ask me about it rather than doing his own conclusion-jumping. And in doing so, gave me a feeling that if I were to make such a move, he’d be a great guy to work for.
I wouldn’t want to work for a company that didn’t take the time to thoughtfully ask me why I’d changed jobs so many times.
But if I’d been vague about my tenures at these companies, or tried to dodge his question, then not only would I be doing him a disservice, I’d be doing myself a disservice by not letting both parties in the employment negotiation process self-select one another. I’d probably enter the job thinking, “I’m not gonna last; I’m not gonna last; I’m not gonna last.” What are the bets that I’d end up self-fulfilling this?
Similarly, if you’re a freelancer or an entrepreneur, you shouldn’t be afraid to be honest about who are and what your needs are when you’re trying to seal a client deal. As Andrea Sittig-Rolf, the president of her own sales training and consulting firm, writes:
Have you ever had clients who were more trouble than they were worth? Oftentimes we’re so anxious to close the deal that we don’t think about whether we really want that particular client or not. My guess is, for the clients who turn out to be more trouble than they’re worth, you had some inkling or gut feeling about them right from the beginning of the sales process. You had intuition that your prospect might be a high-maintenance client or, worse, a nightmare client but, for whatever reason, you didn’t pay attention to your inner voice. The fact is, we’re better off saying no to an opportunity than taking it based on the hardship and energy drain it may cost us in the long run.
(This last line especially seems like it might also have crossover applications in the world of romance!)
So, how you can avoid energy-drain clients and only invest your time and talents in “good” clients? Andrea recommends taking the time to create an “ideal client profile”:
What are the parameters of, or formula for, your ideal client? What size company is it? … How many decision makers must you deal with to get a “yes” in working with your ideal client? How much client service is involved in working with your ideal client? Does your ideal client give you referrals to other ideal clients?
For me, my ideal clients share a similar psychograph: they are thoughtful, open-minded, have a good sense of humor, and value quality. It doesn’t matter if they’re big or small, an architect or a beauty company. I just want them to be good people that aren’t going to be put off by my envelope-pushing style.
Similarly, Andrea starts her article with an apt Bill Cosby quote:
I don’t know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody.
Dang tootin’! When I first started DinnerGrrls.org (and again as I’ve worked on her renaissance), there’d always be squeaky wheels. “Your events cost too much.” “Your events aren’t high-end enough.” “I don’t want to donate to nonprofits.” “You need to have events more often.”
I used to try and bend and twist to please these women. But then I realized:
- Networking events are deductible, so if a woman is so close to financial insolvency that she’s worried about the cost of our dinners, then she’s probably not ready for her journey towards career nirvana
- Generosity with self and others is a core component of achieving career nirvana, and if bundling a $3 – $5 donation to a vetted not for profit organization is a deal-breaker for a woman, then she’s probably not yet a good candidate for career nirvana
- I don’t ever want DinnerGrrls.org to be an all-consuming group, be it for DinnerGrrls or for myself. So long as we’re clocking in events once a quarter, I’m okay with that. I don’t want to burn out on the organization like I did in the first round.
In short, rather than tailoring the organization to meet the needs of everyone and her mother, I’m keeping the organization focused and allowing its beneficiaries to self-select themselves — and this is all thanks to being thoughtful about “the ideal DinnerGrrls profile”.
You can read Andrea’s full article — “Create Your Ideal Client Profile” — by clicking here.
