4 Ways to Gracefully Set Boundaries in Your Business Over the years, I've developed very strong boundaries in my business, which have contributed to its quick growth, and I coach a lot on setting and standing strong in boundaries with many of my clients. I wanted to share some of the ways I've created and strengthened the boundaries within the way I run my business so you can do the same.
Here are 4 ways that you can gracefully set boundaries in your business:
1. Have a policy page
For every product, program or service you offer, someone is going to ask you to do something different for them. It could be to offer it in a different format, at a different time or day, with a payment plan option, or dozens of other scenarios than I can't possibly cover here.
As a general rule of thumb, don't accommodate. Yes, there will be times when you make a different decision, but most of the time, stick to the parameters you created in the first place. You can't please everyone, and every time you accommodate someone, you a) typically un-accommodate someone else who was just fine with the way your offer stood in the first place, and b) attract more people who will ask you to bend things for them in the future.
What do you do with the requests you get? Create a policy page from each and every decision you've made on how you will or will not run your business. Then when the next person makes a similar request, you simply send them to that page that explains clearly what your policy is, and that the policy applies to everyone. It takes the edge of it feeling like saying 'no' was a personal decision as much as it makes it super-simple for your team to handle these requests.
2. Be fair to ALL your clients
Being fair to all my clients is one value that I hold that makes it easy for me to be clear about the boundaries I have in place in my business. If you remember that it's NOT that you aren't willing or don't want to be accommodating, but that it simply wouldn't be fair to the rest of your clients and customers by doing so, it makes it much easier to say no graciously, and it keeps your integrity intact.
3. Have a buffer
Having someone on my team who manages these requests is imperative. First, as the business owner and leader of my company, it's not the best use of my unique brilliance to be dealing with these requests personally. Second, my team is quite capable of knowing when a request may require my attention, and I trust them to let me know. And third, it makes saying 'no' less personal and much more graceful and respectful to the person making the request when they get an answer from my team instead of from me.
4. Be willing to let go
Ok, this one used to pop up for me a lot when I still struggled with a tendency to over-explain. I liked to craft just the right words to make sure someone understood my decision about something. I've realized that in doing so I wasted a lot of time, energy and emotion. So I stopped doing that for the most part. Once in a while when I found myself back in that loop again, and when I realized how much of my team's time I was wasting, it bopped me over the head and I instantly went back to my short-but-sweet way of responding.
Here's the thing: there's always going to be a tiny percentage of people who want you to customize and accommodate them. But let them go play somewhere else. Because what happens when you stick to your guns is that you honor your value, your time, and your self-respect. You attract more clients and customers who are ideal and who are respectful of you and your team as well, and your business runs more smoothly and more joyfully.
Which one of these boundaries can you set in your business today?
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Alicia M Forest, MBA, 6-Figure Business Breakthrough Mentor, teaches self-employed professionals how to attract more clients, create profit-making products and services, make more sales, and ultimately live the life they desire and deserve. For FREE tips on how to create wild abundance in your business, visit http://www.ClientAbundance.com
How To Impress Potential Clients During Special Events
There are a lot of trades and markets that provide opportunities for company to reach out to customers and lure new clients into the mix. Trade shows let you reach out to others in your field and to people who may need your products and services. Community events are a great way to reach a wide variety of people, some of whom can benefit from what you offer, but may not even realize you exist. If you will be attending a special event in the near future, it is important to make a good impression on potential clients and be sure what you offer at the event is enough to keep you fresh in their minds. The first thing you need to do is provide them a convenient way to carry any of the items or literature they may need to carry around with them at the event. Offering custom bags or event bags allows you to help them meet their needs and let everyone know you are in attendance and providing handy sacks or carryalls. Be sure to have your company logo printed clearly on the brightly colored sacks you pass out.
When at a special event, be sure you bring plenty of business cards with you. Many people in attendance will want the ability to contact you in the future and offering them a business card is the easiest way to provide them with your contact information. If they have a card, offer an exchange so you will have a means of contacting them. Many great business relationships are built from a mutual need. The important thing to be concerned with during a special event is having enough cards on hand so you do not run out.
If your special event provides you with display space or you are planning an event in which you will provide samples of your products, be sure your booth area is welcoming and inviting. Find ways to attract people to your space, even if they are not immediately shopping for your services or products. Offering free materials, providing comforting services like five minute chair massages, or making your space interesting and colorful are great ways to bring people into your area.
Another sure-fire way to get people to drop by your space and learn more is to provide candy and refreshments. When walking around a trade show or company event, people love munching on chocolate or enjoying a refreshing glass of punch or bottle of water. Whenever you can, include your logo on what they take away from your booth. There are many companies that offer personalization of items like candy and water bottles.
Finally, be sure you or whoever is manning your booth is able to answer all of the questions your potential clients may have. Offer literature they can leave with and refer back to should they later have questions. Be sure all of the materials feature a variety of ways to contact you at a later time. Include your email address, website address, phone number, and brick and mortar location on the literature to make it easy to find everything they need.
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