How To Vet New Clients

As I was writing the first draft of this blog post, I was getting ready to have a day-long planning meeting with a new client. I was anxious, yet beyond excited to get to work with this client too. The work we will do is life-changing for kids…and that absolutely lights my heart on fire.

As I was driving to a coffee shop to grab a cup of joe to get my head in the game for that meeting, I got to thinking about why I’m so excited about this client. A few thoughts came to mind.

1. The leader of the organization is someone who I have the utmost respect for and admire. She’s a game-changer. An innovator. She’s sharp, witty, super fun…and the best part…her main priority is all about the students and staff she serves. She IS the definition of a servant leader with a humble heart and serves with a mission to ensure her students are given every opportunity to be successful. I love this about her more than anything.

2. The work is life-changing for kids. When the leader of this organization started talking to me about what she wanted to do, I was ALL IN before we even talked about fees.

I’ve had numerous conversations with other consultants and, of course, my husband (who is a business leader in his own right…he’s my rock star!) about how you vet a potential client. Obviously, you want to make sure they will pay their bills and that you’re protected legally and all…but, I want to talk about why you should only take on clients that truly align to your values.

Yeah, yeah, yeah…I know I’ve preached about values before, but ya’ll, it’s soooo important. I value working with people who are game-changers, innovators and are servant leaders. That’s a big deal to me. 

I highly encourage you to give some thought as to what you value in business and assess if those you currently do business with or want to do business with…do they value the same things you do?

The work you’ll be doing…is it work that truly lights your heart on fire? I completely understand about having to take on work that pays the bills. I get it. That being said, I also firmly believe that you’ll LOVE working if you love the work you do. It won’t be a “chore” – it’s more of a blessing. 

Are you a good fit for the client? Like, truly…are you a good fit? If you don’t think you are, then listen to your gut and don’t go there. You’ll earn so much more credibility with the people you turn down because it’s not a good fit than being on their hate-list because you shouldn’t have taken on the work in the first place.

I can’t wait to update you on this awesome new client…I have no doubt there will be lessons-learned that I will certainly want to share with you along the way!