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🖐 Happy Wednesday!

Issue #46 is 820 words and a 3.0-minute read.

1 big topic: Your Decision to (Politely) Fire a Client

Your clients have a big impact on your culture, and it’s to your benefit that you only work with those who make it positive.

• Why it matters: The wrong client creates a toxic culture that lowers your energy and increases your stress.

Zoom out: The decision to fire a client is hard, and when you get there, it’s important to show empathy and professionalism.

Empathy lays the foundation for a healthy discussion.

Professionalism shows that you value your culture and won’t lower your standards.

Zoom in: (Politely) Firing a client takes 3 parts:

📢 Your message

• Collect a few data points that highlight the root cause of the issue(s)
  

• Use this data to explain why you are ending the collaboration and how the client might proceed without you
  

• Stick to the facts and try to remove emotion from the conversation
  

  
  

💻 Your delivery

• Use a video meeting to convey your message; email can cause confusion.
  

• Use your positive body language and voice tone to share your message in a helpful way
  

• Confirm your client understands your message and give them the chance to ask questions
  
  

📊 Your review

• Evaluate your process for accepting clients and what you missed with a bad client
  

• Examine any gaps between how you and your client understood your process
  

• Look at the trends that show consistent problems with clients in one or more areas (i.e. pricing, contracts, delivery timing, payment and revisions)
  
  

👇 Go deeper: Do you feel pressure to find new clients?

I get it. Landing new clients is stressful.

When revenue falls, you might accept a client that your gut tells you is a bad choice.

To reduce this urge, become your own Chief Culture Officer.

As CCO, you build the guidelines to evaluate a potential client across the categories that matter most to you.

You then score each client in these areas before you start to work with them.

Guidelines bring 2 huge benefits:

• They create a smart filter that weeds out big client problems before they happen
  

• They form a reliable tool for monitoring clients and collecting data that supports ending the relationship, (if necessary)

⭐️ And here’s the good news:

I built a powerful model that lets you choose from more than 20 client categories that matter most to you.

The model is easy to use and gives you an immediate “Yay” or “Nay” decision for each prospect before you accept them as a client.

*Click below to let me know if you’d like the free scorecard.

This week’s business story:

The Elon Musk Recipe to Lose Sales

Elon Musk’s moves on social media might be driving away buyers for Tesla cars, according to a sharp July 2^nd article in the NY Times. ⁽¹⁾

The big picture: Musk has the talent to make bold products, yet his words and actions on hot topics like foreign policy, advertisers, and employee relations can give buyers a bad vibe.

And this bad vibe is starting to bring attention to Tesla’s bottom line.

Why it matters: Your words and actions on social media give people a window into your integrity and your views on hot topics.

• It’s easy to think your prospects and customers won’t find your bold social media posts
  

• It’s also easy to forget that thousands of potential customers might avoid you if they don’t like your views

The bottom line: Be careful and treat social media as a big spotlight that shines on you and what you represent.

🔇 If you must share a bold opinion on a hot topic that is outside your business arena, make a video to get it out of your system, and then DELETE it!

If you use social media more often to comment on hot topics than to promote your business, take a break. Recharge and refocus.

1 fun idea:

💳 ⭕ Digital business cards and wrist bands make networking fun and easier.

I ran into many old friends when I went to the 4th of July festival in my hometown.

Every time a friend asked, “What are you doing these days?” I tapped their cell phone with a wrist band that instantly transferred my business information to their phone.

This gets their attention!

There are many digital business cards and wristbands on the market.

I love mine and use them every time I go to a social event.

Give it a try!

🗓 We’re now into Part II of 2024.

I hope you’re on track to reach your business goals!

Stay curious and keep opening doors.

-Erik

Notes:

**I may earn a commission if you choose to explore or apply for the HoneyBook grant that appears at the top of this week’s issue.

⁽¹⁾ Jack Ewing, Elon Musk’s Politics May Be Pushing Some Buyers Away From Tesla, The New York Times, July 2, 2024, “https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/02/business/elon-musk-politics-tesla-sales.html