14
Sep
2010
2010
They seem awesome when you’re buying them (they’ll stretch out, right?), but once you start walking around in shoes that don’t fit, you begin to feel the misery of your investment in the soles of your feet. In running your business, it’s a similar scenario: you take on business you know isn’t a good fit, then lament the fact as you’re toiling over the project for that client. The better tack is to address things in the very beginning, during what I call the “courtship” stage. You need to formulate questions for yourself in order to really smoke out the “vampire” client when they appear on your radar:
- Do you know what they need and can you provide it?
- Are they sincere or just “tire-kicking” to get your ideas, then find a cheaper vendor?
- Have they shared their budget? (If they don’t, this is always an immediate, glowing red flag for me.)
- When do they want deliverables? Is it a reasonable timeline or pie-in-the-sky?
- Have you had an exploratory talk to get things out in the open, leaving little room for surprises?
- How’s the vibe in your conversation with this potential client and would you like working with them?
I’ve been struck at recent mixers where there is an odd snobbishness surrounding the use of business cards. “Why do people even have these, we’re in the tech age.” Sure we are kids, but nothing beats handing a card to someone that sums up everything, most importantly, how to contact someone you’ve just met, or even refer them to a colleague with ease later on.
