Have you ever worked with a difficult client? (As someone who waited tables throughout college, I know I’ve dealt with my fair share of impossible-to-please customers!) But the beauty of owning your own business is you get to choose who you want to work with. Turning down work isn’t limited to rejecting “difficult” clients, either. ... Read More
Clients
Why Saying No to Clients Could Mean Saying Yes to Your Business
When you are starting out as an entrepreneur, be it as a coach or a writer, a web designer or a retailer, all you want is to land that important first client, to make your very first sale. But as time progresses, you might find those first clients becoming more of a burden than an asset. It may be time for a breakup. If you haven’t ... Read More
The Work-From-Home Dress For Success Guide
Not long ago, I accepted a friend's invitation for a direct sales makeup party she was hosting at her home. I looked forward to seeing the makeup line, but as soon as I met the sales rep, I knew we were in trouble. Instead of the direct sales “uniform”, she should have been wearing, the rep was in a t-shirt and jeans. She'd kicked ... Read More
The Most Effective Way to Get Your First Client
Oh, the excitement of starting a new business! You have done all the right things to set up your business and you have a service to provide that you know will WOW your clients. Everything is ready... except you don’t have a client. “How do I get my first client?” Marketing and Prospecting Alone Are Not Enough Most people do what ... Read More
Laws That Every Freelancer Should Know
For informational purposes only. Consult your attorney for your individual situation. Anyone who has done the self-employment shuffle will agree that this manner of earning an income is a mixed bag, just like most other jobs. There are certainly some major benefits to working for yourself; you can skip the commute, you get to be ... Read More
4 Key Points for Increasing Profits with Superior Customer Service
As many successful business owners and service providers know, good customer service is critical to building or maintaining their business. Exemplary customer service helps your business get noticed. But no matter how great your service or product happens to be, bad customer service can bring your business to a screeching halt. So ... Read More
Don’t Want to Meet Clients at Home? 8 Other Alternatives
While most small business owners are satisfied with operating their start-ups within the confinements of their own home, that doesn't mean that they're necessarily comfortable with opening their doors and using their living room to meet clients, investors, and customers. The reasons vary. Your home may be cramp and small; you may ... Read More
10 Tips for Cleaning Up Before a Home Client Meeting
Stunned … you hang up the phone. Your client wants to meet face-to-face. You work at home, and your house is a wreck. Scenarios like this happen to home-based workers all the time. Sometimes you can avoid home meetings by scheduling your appointments at a coffee shop or co-office space, but sometimes the home meeting is ... Read More
Get More High-Paying Clients and Family Time with One Line in Your Email Signature
Okay, you've seen this kind of promise before. An unbelievably simple solution that offers oodles of payback. One line in an email signature? That's it? And I'll have clients lining up at my virtual door? Let's be honest. Nothing is that simple. And this one isn't either. But it does indeed start with this one email ... Read More
