I performed an important research experiment recently.
I think you’ll be interested to see the results if you work with clients. It will save you a lot of headache down the road.
Thankfully there have been only a few “non-ideal clients” that I have worked with and when I researched the qualities and the process that happened before we started working together they all had 5 things in common.
I want you to jot these 5 things down and see if they at all relate to past clients for you that have not been great to work with.
There are clients that will make you feel happy and fulfilled with the work you do, and there will be others that cause you all sorts of grief. This video helps you quickly spot those that are not going to make you a happy camper, so you can graciously move on from them to those clients you really want to work with.
Your practice this week is to look back at your clients that have caused you headaches and see how many of these 5 things were present before you started working with them. Get clear on the tell-tale signs because these people will drain you and make your work less enjoyable. After all, there are plenty of people you could be serving.
I’d love to hear from you now.
What have you seen as a recurring pattern in those who have not been ideal clients for you? Post a comment below. Help us as community to have our eyes wide-open.
Also, what do you need to shift in your mindset to be able to have the courage to say ‘no’ to potential clients that might not be ideal for you?
Much love,
Oh God Rachael Jayne this is so spot on!!! I was laughing watching it, thank you 🙂 M.x
I’m glad you liked it, Moira!
Looking back at clients that were challenging or did not work out these all describe them!
Thanks for the insight!
You’re very welcome, Belinda. I hope it was helpful to you!
Thank you Rachael for this………as all the points about non-ideal clients are so true. I also have experienced clients that appeared the right ones and when we got into the sessions they were not always ready to “hear the information.” I do believe “integrity” is very important to me and sometimes people are not at that place. Any insights on this and how to better know whether someone is ready to take in what you have to offer?
Blessings,
Effie
Hi Effie,
Great question. I would ask them early on, “What happens in your behavior when you are pushed outside your comfort zone or someone gives you feedback that is hard to hear? Everyone has a reaction and it’s good to know what yours will be in advance so when those uncomfortable moments come up we can work with it consciously.”
Very useful. I also found it interesting how accurate these 5 things are for identifying people you don’t want to hire as staff.
So glad you found it useful, Dianne, that’s a pleasure to hear.
I love how you think Rachael. You break down everything complex into clear points. I’ll keep these 5 points handy ! Thank you ! After reviewing some of my past clients with this list, I’m adding one more point:
Hidden secondary gains (conscious or subconscious) are preventing them from engaging in the transformation they say they want/need.
They talk about how many programs in the past have not worked for them. They have excuses for why they can’t improve this or that. Like a poor me attitude, nothing works for me although I’ve tried hard, even if it works for everyone else.
In these cases I’ve made a 2 by 2 chart (4 boxes), which sometimes has helped them and me uncover such barriers. Top row says Pros, Cons. Left column says Disability, Ability (because of the work I do, but the latter can be replaced for specifics about the problem to address). I ask them to identify 1st the easy boxes, i.e. cons of disability, pros of ability. Then the juicy ones where the barriers lie: pros of disability; cons of ability !
Cheers 🙂
That sounds like a fantastic strategy, Pilar.
For me, the biggest indicator of a non-ideal client is when they have an attachment to their “money story.” It’s the victim story about how so-and-so did this to them and it caused them to have no money. When I’ve tried working with these types of people, I found that they lived in a “fight or flight” mode where achieving a level of higher thinking almost wasn’t possible because they had to scrape to make ends meet, and there was always a sense of desperation about what they wanted to do.
Thanks for sharing, Erin. It’s important to recognize these indicators.
One of the greatest authorities in the ffie field of `helping` said, `The problem is never in the client it is always in you`, The clients you turn away will always be the ones who have showed up to show you something about yourself.
Good insight, Jane!
I had someone who wanted a “saving” . I was very clear about what It would take to “get better” , she changed her mind and did not come.
So I lost a client but I would have done it anyhow if there were wrong expectations in the beginning
Thanks Rachel
Exactly Anna! 🙂