Are you attracting the right clients? As we make plans for the coming year, now is a great time to take stock of your client base and think about who you want (and don’t want) to work with in 2019.

Sometimes we might find ourselves saying yes to prospects who don’t necessarily fit our ideal. As business owners, this needs to be a conscious choice each time we meet with a prospect. Bringing on less-than-ideal clients often ends up taking us away from the work we love doing and doesn’t give us time to nurture the clients who give us energy.

Here are some simple tips to help you get clear about what type of client you want to attract.

  1. Determine which characteristics turn you off when you meet with a prospective client. For me, it’s people who take more than they give, won’t make a decision, or don’t value my time. When I meet with prospects who exhibit these behaviors, that’s my red flag to walk away and/or refer them to someone else.
  2. Take a look at the clients you have, or have had in the past, who’ve sapped your energy. Sometimes the cold, hard reality is that in order to flourish in your business, you’ve got to get rid of the duds. Take a close look at the clients who leave you feeling exasperated or whose work you always have a hard time starting. Those clients may need to be released in order to make room for your ideal clients.
  3. Get clear about your ideal client. Look at the clients you have, or have had in the past, and list some of the qualities and characteristics that make them great. If you’re not yet working with your ideal client, consider what one might look like and list the particular characteristics that would make them a good fit for you (what they like to do, how they learn, how they interact with others, etc.).

Staying clear about who we want to work with changes our energy. We begin to attract exactly the types of clients we truly want to work with. As you meet with prospective clients, you will start to build a filter that will help you recognize whether they are a good fit or not.

If they’re not a good fit for you, perhaps they might be a great fit for someone else in your network. You might consider building up a good network of other businesses like yours so you can refer business if it makes sense to do so. This elevates you to the next level, helps your prospect, and creates space for attracting the right clients.

The key takeaway is that in order to be a magnet, you must first be clear about what you want to attract!