More Money & Less Stress?

At 2pm last Wednesday, I got a call from one of my clients. Before I could barely utter my "hello," she launched headlong into her story - "I am so frustrated! I have this client who has been dragging her feet at every stage of our project. I'm working on a branding campaign for her company and expected to be finished nine months ago, but every time we get to a stage in the project where the ball is in her court, I have to follow-up umpteen times and push and prod just to get her to move forward. In almost every case, it takes her about two months to do something that could have been done in a week. Then, two months later when she's finally finished with her part, she cheerily announces that she's ready for me to start the next phase and wonders how quickly I can do it. Every time this happens I have to completely reacquaint myself with her project. All in all, I've spent almost twice as many hours as I budgeted. How can I get her to wrap up this project so I can move on?," she finished.

I cannot think of one service business owner that hasn't faced this issue at one time or another. We all started our businesses concerned about providing great customer service and a quality service delivered on time. We thought that was the key to having happy clients. But, at some point, we find out that great customer service means that we're not allowing one client's delays to impact another client's project, the profitability of our business, or our own personal satisfaction. This is when we have to recognize that we are responsible for this situation. If you've allowed a client to run amuck dragging a project on forever, changing project parameters numerous times, delaying payment of the final bill, why shouldn't they continue to behave this way? It's up to you to put into place policies and procedures that communicate this to your clients and prospects from the very beginning.

One format I've seen used very effectively is a one-pager called "How We Work Together." It's a very basic document that outlines the responsibilities of both you and the client. It makes clear who is responsible for what and when so there are no questions later. It also outlines the consequences if either of you misses the target. Not only does this put the client on the straight-and-narrow, it shows them that you are willing to be held to high standards as well.

By using the How We Work Together document, you can begin setting the stage for productive client relationships from your very first contact with a new prospect. During your first meeting, give them a copy of the document and go through it with them. When I ran my web development company, mine included a rough timeline for each stage of the project and described how the responsibility shifted from me to them and back again throughout the process. It also included a description of consequences should particular stages of the project go beyond the timeline by a specified amount of time. This applied to me as well as them. People like to know what to expect. It left them feeling that I had a system I followed and could be relied upon to do what I was proposing to do. I feel confident that this is one of the reasons I got 90% of the projects I pitched.

I used the How We Work Together document again once I had received the signed contract and deposit payment. At that point, I would consult my project calendar and assign specific dates to each stage of the project included on the document and mail it out to the client. They had already seen the document once, so it wasn't new to them. Now, they just reviewed the dates and used it as a follow-up tool.

If you are currently in a similar situation, handle it as best you can in order to preserve the client relationship and introduce the How We Work Together document at the beginning of the next project with this client. To begin to set boundaries with all of your clients and prospects, create your own How We Work Together document and utilize it in every new project for new and existing clients.

About The Author

Kimberly Stevens is the author of the ebook series, *The Profitable Business Owner: A Step-by-Step System for Starting & Running a Successful Service Business*. Download Sample Chapters & get her free MiniCourse, *The 10 Most Common Mistakes Business Owners Make & How To Avoid Them* at: http://www.askthebizcoach.com/ebooks.htm; kim@askthebizcoach.com

---

Im Gonna Die MY Way

My wife says I have the strangest taste in movies.... Read More

Top 10 Ways to Coach Yourself to Total Success!

Coaching is about being your best. It's about performance, about... Read More

More Money & Less Stress?

At 2pm last Wednesday, I got a call from one... Read More

Managing Your Perfectionism

What Is Perfectionism?This is the first of two newsletters that... Read More

Have a World-Changing Conversation

I know what you're thinking? "Here I am, completely stressed... Read More

Buyer Beware: Choose A Business Coach Carefully To Get The Results You Want

Consider this scenario. A colleague suggests you get a business... Read More

Friends?

I met my friend when we were in graduate school,... Read More

Masterminding Success - How to Start a Masterminding Meeting?

Masterminding is about a group of like-minded, achievement-oriented individuals who... Read More

Boost Your Self-Esteem

What Is Self-Esteem?Self-esteem literally means to esteem, or respect, yourself.... Read More

Discovering Your Passion and Purpose

"I can't seem to discover why I'm on the planet.""What... Read More

Learning To Recognize Your Ego

What is an ego? Well, in case you didn't know... Read More

How Empathy Can Reduce Your Anger

Jim, a 42-year old engineer was teaching his eight-year-old son... Read More

Personal Power

All of us would love to have personal power ?... Read More

Priorities: Are You Living Yours?

In the Charles Dickens classic, "The Christmas Story", Scrooge is... Read More

Mid Life Crisis and the Great American Dream

One of the mainstays of American culture is the "Great... Read More

Crisis: Danger or Opportunity?

I have often heard motivational speakers say that the word... Read More

The Power of Effective Coaching Skills

The most valuable assets of a 20th century company were... Read More

Coaching for Success

Coaching is perhaps the most effective method of increasing performance... Read More

Just Listen, Please!

When did you last do that? When did you last... Read More

Purpose

Many people go through much of their lives without really... Read More

Attention! Thought Crossing! ? Or, The Secret of What?s Between Your Ears

What are you thinking - right now? 'I'm reading your... Read More

Addiction to Thinking

Randall sought my help because he was stuck being miserable... Read More

Whats Up With All These Coaches?

If you are anything like me, you may have noticed... Read More

Good Communication is Easy - Isn?t It?

My name is Steve Brummet and my business is to... Read More

Eureka! I?ve Found It!

OK, so it wasn't quite that big of a deal.... Read More

Is Coaching For You?

More and more people have less and less time, but... Read More

Coaching Book Review: The Coach: Creating Partnerships for a Competitive Edge

Leaders today have many challenges when it comes to guiding... Read More

Choosing an Apprentice

Along the path from where you are now to millions... Read More

Executive Coaching Case Studies

If you are wondering whether investment in executive coaching would... Read More

How To Give Criticism Without Bruising Egos

As responsible employers, parents, and friends, we have an obligation... Read More

The Non-Conscious Mind at Work. Harness it for Your Success

Thoughts are real things. As soon as you realize how... Read More

How to Save Yourself from Negative Influences

Watching the news can be hazardous to your health.It's a... Read More

How to Jump-start Your Emotional Health

You've probably heard the expression: "It's not what you're eating.... Read More