How intuitive are you, regarding business decisions?
Someone recently asked me: “What is the best way to ensure you pick the right clients to work with?”
My answer, apparently, surprised them a little. I suggested they listen to their intuition!
Some small business owners and freelancers will work with literally anyone who will pay them. That’s a short-sighted way to try and grow a successful business. The reality is that not all clients are created equal. Some are a pleasure to work with. They stand-up to their part of the deal and it works like a dream. Others are a very bad fit. You can’t build a successful business working with that second group. They drain you mentally and neither party will get what they need.
So, how do you ensure you get to work with the right people?
How do you turn your client relationships into non-stop win-wins?
You use the power of your intuition!
The power of intuition
Identifying the right kind of clients to work with is important, however, because we are all unique, your ideal client will look different to mine. The thing we are always searching for, is a client that is the right mix. You need to feel right about them. There needs to be a requirement on their side for what you offer and a commitment, to do their part. You need to believe that you can give them what they need and help them achieve the agreed end result. Win-win!
Notice I used the word feel in that previous paragraph?
This is because I strongly believe that when it comes to deciding who to work with, our gut feeling or intuition is often extremely accurate. In the past 15 years, I have ignored my intuition just a few times, and paid the price. Today, I go with my intuition on every business decision. I have learned to trust it.
Of course, your intuition is invaluable in every area of your business, not just when it comes to identifying great people to work with. For example, I have seen opportunities, which looked fine on paper, but which just felt wrong. I have passed on them, and later spoke with people who got involved and regretted it. On the other side of the ledger, I was warned by everyone not to relocate from London, to a tiny rural village, here in Yorkshire. However, as soon as I saw the place, it immediately felt right. It was one of the best decisions I ever made, even though on paper, it was nuts!
So, do you follow your intuition?
When I ask people that question, they either immediately get it or they think I am talking mumbo-jumbo. The thing is, there’s nothing strange or weird about intuition.
When we get a feeling about someone (or something) it’s because our brain has frantically searched around, looking through our past experiences. If the results were positive, you will get a positive feeling about progressing. Your past experiences have suggested that this is more likely to turn out well, than turn out poorly. Conversely, if the results are negative, you get the opposite feeling. Your past experiences suggest that this is a bad mix and there’s a good chance it will turn out wrong.
When it comes to picking clients or business partners (or making any kind of business decision), I strongly recommend you take your gut feelings into account. They are not always right, but they are a great deal more accurate than you may believe. If you pay close attention to your intuition, it gets progressively more accurate too.