While this rings true for just about everyone, I want to focus on this from the perspective of a small business owner and freelancer…. Especially since this is so very, very relevant to them. And arguably some of the hardest advice to take. But I promise both you and your business will be better off for it.
Chasing people (clients) is one of the things that I was extremely guilty about when I first started… And sometimes I still fall victim to this. It’s also a trend that I’ve seen among other small business owners. You have a potential client and for some reason you just can’t close the deal. Maybe it’s your price point, maybe they like your competitors better, or any number of things that prevent you from luring them in. Our first instinct is to go “all in” in order to get them to buy our products.. Or in my case, get them to let me write their content.
While this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it can definitely become one fast if you’re not careful.
Pitfalls of Chasing Clients
You come off as unprofessional and appear to lack confidence in your business/products. If you’re chasing clients that have already decided to go elsewhere, not only are you going to get on their nerves but you’re also going to appear VERY unprofessional. You’re also going to give them the impression that you lack confidence in yourself. If your products/business is so good, why do you need to chase them? That’s the impression you’re giving them. Let your business/products speak for itself.
Discounts might be thrown around at this point. Let me preface this by saying that it’s not a bad thing to offer discounts or incentives to get clients in the door. However, if you offer too many discounts (or heavy percentages off) you’re going to attract low-ball customers. These aren’t the clients you want; these guys are only here for the absolute bottom of the barrel pricing. And once you’ve given them that discount, chances are they’re never going to pay full price for your products. After all, if you chased them down after they left to offer discounts, what’s to stop you from doing that again? Don’t teach your clients that this behavior is ok.
Also, word can spread quickly that you’re offering some serious discounts. Once again, attracting people who don’t want to pay what you’re worth. You can also come off as needy and not confident in your skills if you chase clients with discounts trying to get them to sign up. Also, current customers might get upset that they’ve paid a premium when others have gotten a discount. So if you feel you have to offer a discount, offer something small like 10%.
Focusing too much on clients can cause you to lose sight of your dreams/business goals. I’m not saying that you shouldn’t focus on your clients, but you shouldn’t spend your entire day spamming the ones who didn’t want your services. Don’t worry so much about them; keep sight of your dreams and goals.
Like the quote above implies your business, services and you as a person will shine through if you put in the work.
You’ll attract the right customers, the ones who want your services (not freebies) if you focus on your business. So instead of investing time in chasing clients down, reinvest that time into you, your business, and products/services. Not only will you be glad that you did, but your clients will too.
