What’s the clearest red flag a potential client can show you? For me, the list of things they can say or do to make me instantly give up is pretty short.
I don’t expect them to understand the value I can bring them immediately – that’s my job to explain. Unrealistic expectations, ego posturing, and unclear scope are all par for the course for working as a specialist. They all take work and dedication but are nothing to be scared of.
Here’s a list of behaviors that I actively avoid
1) Scammers, who are indifferent to clients being worse off after purchasing their services.
2) People who already “know it all” who try to hire me, but only to execu__te their plan, not to help them think
The first type rarely approaches me, and even when they do it’s easy to filter them out by googling them for any bad online reputation or historical red flags. It’s a small world, and scammers usually repeat their formula enough times to leave a fat trail of clues if you search for them.
The second type is more common, and the main problem is that just because they feel the pain of their main symptoms, they also think they understand both the nature of their underlying problem and what I can do to help them. They really don’t, but until they see that, I’m stuck.
So as Andrew Carnegie said, “You cannot push anyone up the ladder unless he is willing to climb himself.” I tried – it’s a lost cause.