If I were to be your fairy godmother today and grant your wish for 2, 5, or even 10 more clients in the next few weeks, would you be prepared to take them on? Even though many of you say that you are, your words may give one message (yes), but your actions give a completely different message (not quite ready).
Many independent service professionals insist that they want additional clients, but haven't really put the groundwork in place to accommodate them. A friend of mine serves as a legal guardian for elderly/disabled people in Massachusetts and several years ago had a caseload of about 60. He said that he wanted about 100 clients total (40 more than what he had), so his wife told him he needed to create client folders for that additional number of clients. He thought she was crazy, but went out and bought folders and supplies and created the space in his files for 40 more clients. In just 30 days, his practice had grown to 90 clients. He set his intention, followed his marketing plan, and his practice began to fill. And, by the way, he now pays very close attention to his wife's "crazy" notions.
So, how can you replicate his success in your business? Here are 4 deadly mistakes you want to avoid if you want a full and thriving practice:
1. Fail to set your intention. How many more clients can you reasonably add without becoming overwhelmed? What's your income goal? Pick your number and state your intention to add that number of clients to your business in a certain time period.
2. Don't prepare any new client info. If 5 or 10 new clients were to come through the door today, do you have new client information packets ready to send to them? If not, put together enough printed or electronic packets to enable you to immediately send out to the number of new clients in your intention statement.
3. Don't set up any new client systems. Do you have a step-by-step procedure in place for what happens when a new client hires you, or do you fly by the seat of your pants? Is there a member of your team trained and ready to follow this system when you get these new clients? If not, now is a good time to get that system in place and make sure members of your team are ready to take action when the new clients begin to arrive.
4. Ignore your calendar and schedule. Have you set aside time on your calendar to be able to work with these new clients? Can you realistically squeeze them in amongst all of your other weekly tasks? Have you anticipated how adding clients will impact your workweek and planned accordingly? Plan in advance for when you'll work with these new clients and clear your schedule to make it happen.
Of course, all the intention and preparation in the world won't help you if you don't have a marketing plan in place. However, there's a saying that goes something like, "the universe only gives us what we're ready for." If you truly want to add clients to your practice, get ready for them. Set your intention, follow your marketing plan, and get ready for them to show up!
