They are an integral and irrefutable component of the 80/20 Rule. The twenty-percent of your clients delighted to create eighty-percent of your aggravation, stress, and agita! You know who they are. They constantly demand more than they are willing to pay: more than they are entitled to
These individuals are rarely satisfied because they have no clear idea of exactly what they want. It’s reasonable to assume they don’t understand what it takes to accomplish whatever it is they need and as a consequence, they believe everything is easier than it is… They don’t listen.
They also believe that whatever they hope to accomplish will take less time than it should, or will… And, that it will cost more than you have any right to charge. You know who they are because every time they enter your environment, they suck every bit of oxygen and energy out of the room. You can see it in the body language of your associates! Shoulders droop. Smiles disappear. An air of resignation and quiet desperation begins to fill the room.
It is far more productive to spend your time, effort, and energy cultivating the eighty-percent of your clients who make you smile—while searching for more and better customers—than it is to kill yourself (your team members, and your business) trying to satisfy a bunch of people who have no idea what they want, need, or expect from you.
Shave the Bottom
After 52 years in business, I’ve learned it’s better to shave the bottom: to fire customers like that, in order to make room at the top than it is to turn yourself inside out trying to placate the miserable and misanthropic!
Sure, you might be able to rehabilitate some of them. But at what cost? Focus your energy on the clients who will help you build a better future. Loyal and lifetime customers who will be there for you just like you were there for them. The folks who make you smile every time you look up and see they’re there.
Epilogue
This particular post was born out of a Small Business Essentials class I’ve been involved in. It was written before this last adventure with Shingles Zoster raised its ugly head. And, is the result of a discussion that developed within my cohort (about 20 individuals who are either small business owners or aspire to be). I think it is as appropriate for this venue as it is for my www:misfirebook.com site. Just as I believe it is something to be considered when it comes to our personal relationships.
I’d be interested to know what you think.
Mitch
