What if you get all the clients you want? Get serious Before you offer services, you’re used to operating as a non-business person. You likely perform favors for others — whether it’s reviewing a friend’s resume or sharing their content on social media. You’ll already have clear intentions for your business, so the choice you make should always help you reach one or more of those goals. Give yourself time for: Work responsibilities Personal responsibilities Meals and breaks Leisure Sleep Like your list of goals, here you need to have clear priorities and agree to activities only if they realistically fit into the schedule for your work time or the schedule for your personal time. When you explain your offer in a simple way, it demonstrates that you’re results-oriented. Provide a terms of service A terms of service agreement can help keep you in the “friendly, but not friends” zone. Instead of making your terms of service dry, demonstrate what it’s like to work with you and how the client can contribute to the relationship in a productive way. Have go-to plans for common issues Even when you take preventative measures, some clients may innocently cause problems. Your go-to plan could be as simple as referring to the part of your terms of service that states the protocol for what the client wants.
Here’s a scary thought:
What if your content marketing actually works? What if you get all the clients you want? Will you be able to handle them?
Those are important questions every service provider needs to answer honestly because there is often a disconnect between what we say we want and the actions we take.
Fear of success can prevent us from crafting the bold, strategic plans that will grow our businesses. Without realizing it, self-doubt causes us to make weak and safe moves that limit our potential — because we’re unsure if we’re capable of managing a full roster of clients.
Self-doubt will arise in any business journey, but if you prepare for the healthy, sustainable relationships you want to have with clients, you’ll be one step closer to attracting and winning over prospects with confidence.
Check out these 10 service business essentials, so that you’ll feel nothing but proud when your content marketing dreams come true.
1. Get serious
Before you offer services, you’re used to operating as a non-business person. You likely perform favors for others — whether it’s reviewing a friend’s resume or sharing their content on social media.
Once you start offering services, part of you becomes your “business self.”
It’s the foundation for the rest of these pointers.
While in your personal life “wanting” to do something might be a reason to do it, in your business life, you need to consider favors or discounts with care.
Your service is a business now, not a hobby.
2. List goals
To reinforce your new business-centric mindset, list out your professional goals in a document you keep handy near your workspace.
A digital file on your computer desktop works well because you can easily add to it over time. The items in the list will ideally help both you and your clients.
They’ll be especially useful when you’re faced with a tough decision. You’ll already have clear intentions for your business, so the choice you make should always help you reach one or more of those goals.
You might have to say “no” sometimes.
3. Protect your time
Service providers often work at all hours throughout the day and night, and give the excuse “that’s just my lifestyle.” (Been there, done that, wasn’t worth the indigestion.)
Skip that path to burnout and don’t reinvent the wheel just because you have the freedom to make your own schedule.
You can have a creative work life and borrow wisdom from tried-and-true practices, like designated office hours.
Give yourself time for:
- Work responsibilities
- Personal responsibilities
- Meals and breaks
- Leisure
- Sleep
Like your list of goals, here you need to have clear priorities and agree to activities only if they realistically fit into the schedule for your work time or the schedule for your personal time.
4. Be friendly, not friends
That non-business side of you will keep popping up if you’re not stern with it.
You can have friendly, professional relationships with your clients without crossing over into “friend…
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