How To Vet Clients To Make Sure They Align With Your Company Values

ChicExecs VP of Global Strategic Accounts, Lydia Vargo, shares her tips on vetting clients to ensure they align with your company’s values on Forbes blog. Here is a recap:

Do you accept every client that comes your way? It might sound backwards, but if you want to run a happier, more profitable business, you need to be choosy about the clients you select. It’s hard turning away paying customers, but if you run a service-based business, you need to prioritize a roster of clients you love and respect.

But how do you distinguish between great clients and clients who will make your working partnership miserable? Especially during the prospecting phase when everyone is on their best behavior? Use these three factors to vet potential clients before you sign a contract.

Ask About Their Goals And Mission

If you specialize in social media services but a client wants blogs, your expertise and their goals aren’t a match. This is why it’s so important to understand a client’s goals before you agree to work together. It also gives you an idea of their expectations — and whether they’re reasonable or unrealistic.

Research Their Values

Values, morals and ethics are an important part of anyone’s identity. With that said, new clients are generally an “unknown,” which means you risk working with some who don’t have the same moral compass as you.

For instance, if your goal is to serve businesses that strive for social justice, you want to work with clients who jibe with those values. It isn’t easy, but you can often get a sense of a client’s values by:

– Checking them out online

– Asking for references

– Mentioning your values

Create An Ideal Client Checklist

Think about your top five clients. Why are they your favorite? What personality traits do they share? Why do you like working with them?

Create a checklist based on your favorite clients. Every time you hop on a call with a potential partner, run through this checklist to see how many boxes they tick. Your criteria will be different, but you might evaluate leads based on:

– Their personality.

– Their goals.

– Their communication style.

– Their budget.

Not all clients will tick every box, but the idea is to choose clients who fit a majority of your requirements.

Read Lydia’s full blog here.