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FLATHEADBEACON.COM BUSINESS MONTHLY APRIL 30, 2014 | 35

BUSINESS IS PERSONAL Mark Rifey

Choose Your Market Or

Craft it? Or Both

S
OMETIMES YOU CHOOSE YOUR most (if not all) of these customers – and
market, and sometimes it chooses what to do about it.

you. Today, we get a little of both.
A discussion with some software BY FORCE OR BY CHOICE
business owners prompted this piece, What happens if you decide to (or
but you should stick around even if you must) work with them regardless of their
aren’t in the software business – be- situation? Not everyone can get out of
cause these problems are universal no this situation easily.
matter what business you’re in.
Perhaps you manage part of (or work
During these discussions, there was
in) a business that this kind of client and
a lot of talk about cheap clients.
you have no control over the situation.
The discussion started with the If you own the business, perhaps it’s
group lamenting that their clients are a situation you’ve unintentionally cre-
constantly falling back on their lack of a ated over the long haul and it’s either hit-
budget as the reason they can’t do things.
ting you square in the forehead and wal-
The comments started like this:
let simultaneously that it’s an expensive
situation, or you’ve known

about it all along and are now
“MANY SMALL BUSINESSES managing to come up for air
long enough to take some ac-
ARE IN A POSITION WHERE tion to deal with it.
Either way, it needs to be
addressed.
THEY CAN’T AVOID CLIENTS.”
Longtime readers would

probably guess that my Plan
A would be to execute my
time-hardened battle plan
• “Our clients say they have no money for to help you help them transform from
tech support.”
mere customers to good clients. I don’t
• “Our clients say they have no money for say “mere customers” lightly. It isn’t a
newer hardware, so their 10-year-old meaningless smear, as there is a serious
XP machines will have to do.”
diference between mere customers and
• Our clients don’t have (this and that).
good clients.
• Our clients can’t do (this or that).
Thing is, Plan A has two beneits:
The conversation continued for a bit, While it’ll help some of them become the
discussing the kinds of things you’d pre- clients you want, it’ll also tell you who
fer to avoid when seeking clients.
the doers are.
Thing is, many businesses are in a Even if they aren’t good at some
position where they can’t avoid clients (many?) of the things you put in front
like this, at least not when they’re small of them, the doers will try almost every-

and getting starting.
thing. Keep them around unless they
No matter what market you’re in, drive you absolutely crazy. I mean visit
you have clients and prospects that have your house at 11 p.m. on a Sunday night
these issues – or say they do. For many kind-of-crazy.
business owners, it’s pretty frustrating.
Why? Because those are the guys
who won’t quit trying. You need clients
DUMP ‘EM?
like that and they need you.

Normally, I would counsel you to
ind a way to sort these guys out from WHAT ABOUT THE REST?
the rest. Actually, I’d still suggest that to The doers will listen and execute
a fair number of my clients, but not ev- based on what you tell them. Many of
eryone is in a position to ire a bunch of them will get it and grow into the kind of
customers.
client you wanted in the irst place.
Even if you are in a position to shed The rest? Well, those are the ones
those customers, you need to be selec- that you can part with once you’ve done

tive about how to do it and even then, do your transformation work on the rest ...
so carefully and kindly.
unless you just can’t let them go.
Why selective? Because a sizable If you can’t, then ponder what you’re
handful of those customers will igure it willing to do about it. They consume
out, get out of bootstrapping mode and time, efort and money that might be
become the best clients you’ve ever had. better leveraged on other projects. Can
Your job is iguring out which ones are you help them? Do you have time to help

the keepers. We talk about that fairly of- them? Will they listen if you ofer help?
ten.
(Their efort on Plan A teaches that).
What we don’t often discuss is what Give them a chance, then make a de-
to do if you’re the one who has to keep
cision.

Want to learn more about Mark or ask him to write about a business,

operations or marketing problem? See Mark’s site or contact him via email at
[email protected].