Will This Be a Great, New Client or Not So Much? How to Tell!

I just read an article on when you likely want to decline taking on a new client and I thought, they are missing a very basic point when it comes to people seeking real change.

Ok, here is what Beth Armknecht Miller, an Executive Leadership and Talent Development Expert says about when she declines a new client ( https://executive-velocity.com/when-does-coaching-not-work/).

1. The potential client believes coaching is punishment, not an opportunity.

2. They believe there is nothing they can learn from the opportunity.

3. They seek to avoid doing self-work and expect their coach to do the work for them.

I bet you’ve seen these yourself, right?

I often also consider:

Do they value paying for services received?

Have they tried coaching or services to help their business before? How did that go?

Are they values-oriented?

How is the chemistry?

Today, I’d like to add one that I realized look for semi-consciously: Past-Future or Present.

Here’s what I mean. If the person is really focused on the past, say what went wrong, who is to blame, how big the problem is, they may be advertising in bright lights that they are anchored in the past and that they are deeply set in staying there. They may be committed to staying stuck.

If they are Skip-Thinking in a Fast Forward blur to tomorrow and how wonderful that will be, are they skipping over what can and needs to happen now? The easiest way to avoid change is to avoid the Present.

And that can make for a mutually unsatisfying relationship with them as a client.