As a licensed professional, your dedication to clients is deep, but booking yourself solid so you can continue to serve them long into the future can be more evasive. You can easily forget where you drew the boundaries you need to be at your best. Spending so much time serving others often leaves little time to work on yourself or your business.
Maybe you even forgot you were in business, or you intentionally chose not to run like one. That might sound good and noble, but it’s a terrible business plan. If you want to keep serving clients, you need a strategy. Enter Michael Port and Book Yourself Solid. Here are three of his recommendations.
1. Build Trust
Clients will be entrusting you with some of their most personal, confidential, and sensitive information. From personally identifiable information (PII) that scammers love to embarrassing details about various challenges or missteps, you will have access to data that makes them vulnerable in many ways. No matter how impressive it is, your resume is not enough to help them feel safer in your hands. Professionals who are booked solid consistently build their client relationships over time.
2. Prioritize Ideal Clients
To book yourself solid with the right clients for you, Port introduces the concept of the Red Velvet Rope Policy. He encourages you to prioritize clients whose values and vision align with yours because you will be best suited to help them. This will enhance the quality of your services and cultivate lasting relationships.
3. Network to Collaborate
Too many people still go to networking events and pass around cards as though there is a contest to see how many they can distribute. Most of those cards go in the trash, and the social media connection requests go unanswered because the trust hasn’t been built. That comes over time and from a focus on mutual benefit. Connect with other professionals in your industry and compatible ones, and see how you can help each other. By sharing resources and referring clients to one another, you’ll expand your reach and offer holistic solutions to clients’ needs.
Favorite Quotes from the Book
“[I]f there are people you want to serve, then there are people in this world whom you are meant to serve.”
“If you are working with people with whom you do not do your best work, you are out of integrity.”
Marketing and sales are about putting yourself out in front of and offering your services to people who already need and are looking for your services.
“[M]any business problems are simply personal problems in disguise.”
“Many service professionals also feel uncomfortable charging for services that either come easily or that they love doing.”
Conclusion
None of the tips in Book Yourself Solid are earth-shattering discoveries, but Port’s spin on them might shed new light that helps you put them into practice. By applying the core concepts and continuing your excellence, I am confident your business will thrive, allowing you to leave the legacy that drove you into the profession.