Small business owners may think that they need to focus on new clients to grow their business. This can be a mistake. Instead, you can achieve explosive growth by spending more time and energy on your high-performing clients, who also love you back (by continually giving you their business).
High-performing clients are clients that make you the most money, provide you with the best opportunities and make you feel like you’re the hero of your story. There’s no doubt that the best clients to have are ones that are delighted with your service—and are willing to pay more for it.
Choosing and focusing on just the very best– your high-performing clients– can lead to explosive growth for your business. Here’s why.
Not All Clients Are Equal
The most common mistake small business owners make is focusing too much on new clients. They think that new clients are the key to their success, and they’re not.
In order to achieve explosive growth, you need to focus more time and energy on your high-performing clients. These are the customers that will turn into loyal customers for life, because they love what you do for them.
High-performing clients appreciate your hard work and continue to give you their business as long as possible because they understand your commitment and expertise. They make you the most money, provide you with the best opportunities and make you feel like you’re the hero of your story. There’s no doubt that the best clients to have are ones that are delighted with your service—and are willing to pay more for it.
In turn, you love these customers back. And not just because they give you their business. Their values resonate with yours, they are a joy to work with, and they make you feel you’re fulfilling your mission simply by doing what you do best.
Your investment in your high-performing customers will eventually pay off if they continue to give you their business because they love your work and want it to continue, which means they’ll be happy to continue paying what it takes for them to stay loyal. That’s a win-win situation, since there would be less work for you if these customers didn’t stay loyal and come back for more of your services.
Know Your Top Clients (Then Get To Know Them Even More).
It’s important to know your top clients. You need to focus on your top-performing clients and make sure that you’re giving them everything they want.
In all likelihood, you already know who your top, high-performing clients are. They’re the sort of clients you might look forward to hanging out with or won’t mind getting stranded with on a desert island.
Simply put: they are good for you and you are good for them. Your more immediate goal now is to figure out how to serve them better by asking better questions. You can take them out to a casual business lunch or drinks after work.
In a way, you are getting to know them better. Start by asking questions about how their work is going, how they are feeling about the business and what their goals are. You’ll be able to find out a lot more about your clients if you ask them the right questions than if you just ask them what they think your needs are.
Be a good listener. Pay attention to what they say, because sometimes there’s so much in the conversation that it’ll give you valuable insight into what will work best for them and how they might feel about something specific—and that could help you decide whether or not it’s time for a change in the way you do business.
Once you have a better understanding of your top clients, it will be easier for you to figure out how best to serve them. This knowledge can help improve the service you provide and make them more likely to refer others to you.
More is Not Necessarily Better. Better is Better.
Many business owners are tempted to put more time and energy into their less-performing clients, thinking that doing so will help them grow their business (it won’t).
You may have heard that more is better. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. What’s better for your business is finding and focusing on those clients who are high-performing.
Having better clients is better than having more clients. Now that you know what makes your best clients tick, you can now shift your attention towards finding more clients just like that. Doing exactly what you’re doing for them.
Remember: we don’t just want to have any kind of business where we’re going a hundred different directions and trying to handle all kinds of problems. Instead we want to focus all of our attention and resources on solving the problems for our ideal clients.
Learn to Systematize Your Workflow.
With your high-performing clients, you can focus on their needs and avoid the time-wasting activities that are common with new clients.
By focusing on your high-performing clients and building a systematized workflow, you’ll be able to save time and turn more of them into happy customers. This means that you’ll get more qualified leads, which will translate into even more money for your business.
Keep in mind: it’s not just about using your high-performing clients as a way to build up your business. Instead, it’s also being able to provide a deeper connection because you’re spending valuable time with people who trust you to help them achieve their goals. Putting in the extra work will pay off because these people are highly engaged with what you do for them and want to see you grow in return.
The bottom line is that if you focus on just your high-performing clients, they will help take your company to new heights by paying for additional services.
The Pumpkin Plan: a Guide to Explosive Business Growth
The Pumpkin Plan, by Mike Michalowicz, is a book that every business owner should read. It’s a quick, easy read, but it is packed with strategies and tactics that will help you achieve explosive growth and an outstanding return on investment.
You can use the book as a guide and incorporate the strategies into your own plan that fits your business, or you can follow the book’s plan step-by-step.
The book is actually based on hardcore pumpkin farmers– those that grow massive, colossal pumpkins. These are pumpkins so huge you can’t carry one on your own. They compete in state fairs, try to outdo each other in the Guiness Book of World Records, and generate tremendous amounts of press.
Mike Michalowicz points out that growing a massive, colossal business is the same as growing a massive, colossal pumpkin. And one way to do so is by focusing on your very select high-performing clients instead of spending all your time amassing new customers.
A Final Word on Focusing on Your High-Performing Clients
When it comes to business growth, one of the most common mistakes that new entrepreneurs make is not focusing on high-performing clients. And when you’re just starting out, it can be hard to know which clients are truly high-performing.
The point here is not to focus on your most difficult clients as much as you should focus on your most profitable ones.
So as much as you can, focus all your attention on your top clients. Just as colossal pumpkin farmers would, so too should you nurture and protect them. Find out what they want more than anything. And if it’s in alignment with what you do best, then by all means, give it to them.
Yes, you can figure things out on your own. But you don’t have to. Schedule a consultation with the Sum of All Numbers team today. Partnering with you, our Certified Pumpkin Plan Strategist will focus on why you started your business, what your dreams and goals are, where your business currently is and what needs to change to get you from there to your goals more efficiently.
Let’s talk about your company’s plans for explosive growth– give us a call at 1-888-564-5777.
