Service-Based Businesses:  This is Crucial to Know

Do your client-facing staff manage clients’ expectations well or not?

In many instances, I would expect the answer to be no.

Whoa. Hold your horses and stop for one moment and just think about that statement. It’s bold and yet it’s true.

I’m not being rude, honestly. Once you’ve stated your fees, stop talking. Visualise putting an imaginary hand over your mouth. When you are nervous, the tendency is to carry on talking, to try and justify your charges. As soon as you do that, you’re lost.

Lauren heard me speak over 6 years ago and never forgot my message.

That’s a long time!

She emailed me out of the blue with the above words. The essence is that she wanted to book a meeting with me and her business partner.

When there is talk of a recession, people get scared. And businesses get scared.

Are your business audiences challenged with charging clients at their proper rate?

Could their emotions, rather than reason be driving them?

I know the answer to both these questions is yes and yes.

Yes, it’s true. A colleague told me this tragic story.

So he had done £100k worth of work and earnt nothing from it.

Apparently, some of the work was very old indeed.

I know from my work over the last 10 years that many businesspeople lack confidence around charging their true worth.
And just one of their concerns is that if they do, they may stop being a nice person.

What were your wins?

What were your challenges?

And what were your insights?

The Mind Creates Stories which are often just not true. I know over the years that mine created some real corkers.

The trouble is, even if they are not true, if you believe those stories, you will act on them.

I know, I know, FOMO usually stands for fear of missing out. Somehow, though, when I was in bed, my mind came up with this alternative.

Mates’ rates are very commonplace. They are not good for you, as a business owner. They are not good for the client either.

If you are not following up, then you are leaving money on the table. Here are five things to consider when following up.

It’s so easy, in fact, it’s like falling off a log. Not that you’ve probably ever done that, of course – fallen off a log that is.

You go and do your weekly shop. You pay for it and take it back to the car. You then realise you’ve forgotten a couple of things. Would you then go back and ask for the extra items for free?

Of course not. You wouldn’t dream of doing that.

Yet how come when it’s a service, clients may ask you for something without paying?