By Kevin Elliott
kevin@wewafilms.com
We worship busy-ness these days.
Being super busy isn’t necessarily bad. In fact, it is necessary to get a business off the ground (it is called a busi-ness, after all). And if you’re like me, you like having a lot on your plate.
That said, you should never talk about how busy you are with clients. Here’s why.
Clients Don’t Think Like You Do
Because we value being busy, we think it helps us look impressive to clients. We think that they will think, “Wow, if they have that much going on, they must be really good.” They will not think that.
It’s okay to talk about how busy you are with friends, family, or fellow business owners. But it is not okay to talk about your busy-ness with clients. They want to know you have plenty of time to focus on them, which leads to the next point.
All Clients Want to Be Your First Love
Client relations is a lot like dating. All clients want to be your only focus of attention. They want to be your favorite. On some level they know you have other clients, but when they hear how busy you are, it reminds them that you have other loves and you spend time with them too. This is bad, in dating and business.
When you talk with a client, they should be your only focus. It doesn’t matter if you’ve had five meetings that morning, have 13 deliverables overdue, and your best employee just quit. Not your client’s problem. They hired you to focus on them. Be quiet about all the other stuff you have going on and make them feel special.
Over Busy-ness Brings Your Competence Into Question
“If you’re sooooo busy, how can you do your best work for me?”
That’s what clients think when you talk about how busy you are. Do you want them thinking that?
And turn the tables. Wouldn’t you think the same thing if you were the client?
Solution: Compartmentalize Clients
It’s hard, but you have to treat each client interaction as if it is the only one you have that day. You can’t let feelings or conversations with other clients bleed into the one you’re having now.
Each client should be their own universe, or at least you should make them feel that way.
Kevin
kevin@wewafilms.com
(850) 819-4463
P.S. – Here are some other articles about project management you might like:
- Answer This Question Before Starting EVERY Project
- How To Control “I’ll Know It When I See It” in Creative Projects
- The Most Important Word in Video Producing