Why I Stopped Lying
Getting more clients. It’s what we’re all hustling for.
So how do we do it??
Unfortunately, there’s no button on LinkedIn for that.
No secret in a book.
No IG Reel with a pithy answer at the end of the scroll.
That’s because it’s not a trivial question!
It’s a seriously profound one, in fact.
How we attract more clients - the right clients, the best clients, the ones that make us excited to do our work and run our businesses - requires honest internal searching as if you were looking to seriously date someone for the long haul.
That’s why I decided to stop lying.
You may not know that I met my husband online in 2002. Yes, we met over dial up! Way back then, with online dating *very* new and my heart exhausted from disappointment over the boys I had been seeing, I figured “what do I have to lose?” And I put it all out there.
I mean I really just spelled. It. out.
I learned what love is from early MGM musicals, so I pretty much expected for my whole life that a big, strapping baritone would sweep in when I least expected it and literally save me from something while I metaphorically saved him from himself.
YIKES! (But it’s true.)
I also put out there all the things that I brought to the table and how I would be an effective and dynamic partner for them…or maybe be a huge pain in the butt.
I never lied about my height or age or job. But, prior to this moment, I certainly hadn’t been honest with myself or potential partners about all that I brought to the table. The good, bad, ugly, virtuous, and surprising.
It repelled some…but it attracted the right one.
So when you ask yourself “How do I find the perfect clients?” stop and ask yourself what you bringing to the table that makes you exciting to them?
Then determine how to package that in a way that brings a measurable difference for your clients.
Once you have figured out the contents of your “special sauce” - the elements of what you want and what you offer - your best clients will start to line up.
How do you figure out what your special sauce is?
1. First ask yourself what you want your clients to hire you for! You start by assessing what you’re great at, but that may not be what you necessarily want to spend your time doing. So what do you want?
2. If you want a long-term relationship with your clients - and presumably you do - then decide on their personality traits that are of value to you. Are they respectful? Are they decisive? Does the company align with your values? These are just examples of questions you might ask yourself, of course. But the point is to draw in your clients with intentionality and not out of desperation. (Could have used that advice while dating, too, right?)
Perhaps there is a part of you that’s nervous to be that radically honest. Afraid that you’ll turn people off when you really want to be liked by everyone? Afraid that if you really put yourself out there and the see you you’ll be rejected? Comfortable staying hidden?
Unfortunately, the failure to bring your full self to the table is what’s holding your business back. (And your love life. If you’re dating.)
There is such a big overlap between your personal life and your business. If you are missing meaning in either, the best you can do is offer the most honest version of yourself and you will see the transformation.
