Imagine you had a consulting client who consistently failed to complete their tasks for the week.
They couldn’t find the time to get their email opt-in page completed.
They were too busy to write the next chapter of their book.
They were working too hard and completely forgot to put together their webinar presentation.
It wouldn’t take long before you sat them down for a serious talk about the future of your consulting relationship—and their business. A consulting client such as that is a frustrating waste of time.
Why, then, do you continue to accept these and other excuses from yourself? Why is your lack of business development allowed to continue, even when you know how important those tasks are to your future growth?
Now, before you go thinking I’m being way too hard on you, know this: we all struggle with this very issue. We all put our clients, our family, our friends, and even the neighbor we barely know before ourselves.
But I’m giving you permission right now to stop doing that, and start treating yourself as the VIP you really are.
It’s time to put your business growth ahead of that of your clients. Only by doing that will you be able to reach a larger audience, help more people, and achieve the goals you’ve set for yourself.
The simplest way to do this is to just make appointments with yourself. That hour or two you have free on Thursday afternoon? Don’t book a client call in that spot. Book yourself. Mark it on your calendar, and treat it as an unbreakable appointment, just as you would an appointment with a client or your doctor or your accountant.
Spend the time working on the things that are important to the continued growth of your business.
- Develop a new group consulting program
- Write a chapter of your upcoming book
- Write emails for your autoresponder
- Reach out to JV partners
In short, do those things you tell your clients to do—the things your own consulting is likely advising. Don’t push them aside for “later” or “after your client work is done.” Elevate yourself to VIP client status, and start putting yourself first. Your business will thank you for it.