Being available to your clients will make you a rockstar in their eyes, but without proper boundaries, you’ll quickly become frustrated. First, they’ll call you when you’re in line at the grocery store, and you’ll answer thinking it must be important. When you discover it’s not, you’ll brush it off. When it happens again, you’ll be annoyed.
Set boundaries early
The best time to set your boundaries is the moment you meet someone. Don’t be too eager to take them to lunch or chat on the phone. Instead, be reserved so they don’t get shocked later when your energy level drops and you’re not so generous with your time. Unexpected phone calls are a significant disruption, so don’t give them the impression they can call you without setting an appointment, first.
Clients get used to the way you interact with them and feel sideswiped when you change the routine in a restrictive manner. Many entrepreneurs make this mistake because they want to be accommodating and quickly realize it doesn’t work.
Restricted availability keeps you in control
Giving clients unrestricted access to you from the beginning of your relationship puts them in control of the relationship, and can make them treat it casually.
For instance, you might receive a text message from a client asking if you got their voicemail or email, or telling you to call them back ASAP. The next time you talk, they might ask you why you never returned their call. That’s behavior you’d expect from a casual relationship, not a business relationship, and it’s a sign that you’ve made yourself too available.
First impressions determine perception of availability
In business, first impressions set the tone of a relationship. From the way you’re dressed to the place you meet, people are going to form fast opinions about who you are and what you have to offer.
To avoid being taken advantage of by someone you’ve just met at a conference, for example, schedule a call with them a week out. Don’t offer to meet with a new contact in person until you know the connection is worth your time.
You want potential clients to think highly of you, but you can’t afford to waste your time with tire kickers and lowballers. That’s why smart entrepreneurs don’t commit to meetings with new contacts in person until they’ve had a chance to evaluate their potential over the phone.
For those who prefer to make a big first impression or have a major deal in the works, it’s inexpensive to charter a jet, and you can entertain multiple people at once. Take this approach only when your prospect is serious, or you’ll be wasting your money. Being on a private jet will make your prospects and clients feel good, so be prepared to redirect requests for extra attention after your meeting.
Simple changes in behavior will restore control in client relationships
Are you having a difficult time managing clients who demand more time than you can give? Check to see if you’re engaging in any of these behaviors with your clients. If you are, you’re giving them too much control:
Taking unscheduled calls
Understandably, clients need to ask questions or tell you something important, so they’ll call you without warning. When a client frequently calls, especially during late hours, don’t be so fast to answer. Answering every unscheduled call from a client gives the impression you’re always around to chat.
LinkedIn Blogger Bernadette Harris explains that her clients, friends, and family members know to text first, and if she’s free, she’ll call them back. For her, not taking unscheduled calls is another tool in her “Efficient Entrepreneur Lifestyle Arsenal.”
Answering the phone to tell a client you can’t talk is equally detrimental. If you can’t talk, don’t answer. If it’s an emergency, they’ll let you know in their voicemail, and you can decide when to return the call.
When a client makes frequent unscheduled calls, let a few of their calls go to voicemail. Answering all of a client’s calls sets them up to become extremely upset the one time you don’t answer.
Texting casually with your clients
If you engage in one lively, fast-paced text conversation with a client, they’ll expect that level of energy from you all the time. When you don’t respond to their next attempt at conversation, they’ll bombard you with texts you’d expect in a needy relationship: “Hello? Are you busy? Where’d you go?”
You’ve got multiple clients, appointments, and responsibilities to manage. Maintaining your flow depends on your ability to control how and when your clients have access to you. Be available for your clients, but only on your terms.
