November 22, 2022

“I Want to Help Everyone”

I’ve heard various permutations of this statement from my solo and small professional services firm clients over the years.

While the sentiment is laudable, here’s the reality:  it’s a poor business strategy for a services firm.

“Everyone” is not your client.

You’re not so brilliant that you have all the answers for everyone who crosses your path. (Me either.)

You don’t have such a dynamic personality that you’ll get along with any and every client who comes your way. (Me either.)

Some people don’t want to be helped. Maybe they’re not happy with their present dysfunction, but they’re content enough that they aren’t motivated to change.

Another category of people who don’t want to be helped are those who think they’ve got it all figured out. Sometimes all you can do for clients like this is say “bless your heart” as they hurtle toward the cliff.

Some prospects have an extremely low perceived value of what you do. You might convince some of them to change their mind, but for many of them, you won’t. That’s ok. Don’t take it personally or view it as a reflection of the quality of what you do.

If you’re a soloist or a small firm owner, you can’t physically get to everyone who needs the transformation you offer. You also need time away to recharge your batteries to effectively serve those you are serving.

The only help you’ll be to some people is sending them to someone who they need worse than they need you. When you do this, don’t discount the value of what you’ve done for them.

After prospects become clients, they and their circumstances will change. Moreover, you and your business will change. You might not be the professional who’s standing there holding the tape when they run through it at the finish line. That’s ok, though, because any part of the journey you assisted with was necessary and valuable, even if that client doesn’t remember or doesn’t now acknowledge what you did for them.

I often get the “I want to help everyone” comment from my clients who want to improve their pricing, but they don’t want to leave anyone behind. I understand this sentiment. You’re in the service business and you want to serve people. I tell my pricing clients who feel this way that this is the reason why we’re moving you from a single price, single service model to “good, better, best” engagement options. Your “good” option is the Yugo version of your service offering, and it’s there for those clients you want to serve but who can’t afford the Lexus version of what you can provide.

Yes, you're a professional services provider. You're doing what you do because you want to serve, you want to help people. Helping everyone, though, is not a business strategy which makes any sense.

 

 

Image created using Craiyon (Formerly DALL-E Mini)

(This blog post was also posted on LinkedIn.)

©Ray Business Advisors, LLC and John Ray

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About me: I help solo or small professional services firm owners with the confidence and positioning necessary to improve their pricing and change the trajectory of not only their business but their life.

I have a podcast called The Price and Value Journey, which features interviews with industry leaders and audio versions of my blog posts. You can find the podcast on your favorite podcast app.

I also have a book coming out in 2023:  The Price and Value Journey: Raise Your Confidence, Your Value, and Your Prices to Grow Your Business Using The Generosity Mindset.

For more information, go to PriceValueJourney.com