Want more clients? Marie Kondo the F out of your business

Marie Kondo. She’s everywhere. You can’t go to Pinterest without seeing her ubiquitous book, “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up.”

She’s revolutionized the way we de-clutter, with her simple methodology couched under the basic principle and question, “Does it spark joy?”

And reluctantly, I’m into it. But not because her internet takeover has worn me down.

I’m into it because she’s right. And for a whole lot more than tidying up.

Take getting new clients, for example.

—

Marie believes that unless you truly, deeply love an item, it has no business in your home. Your home should only have the things that bring you joy – thus the question, “Does it spark joy?”

When you have only that which sparks joy in your home, your home becomes a place of peace and calm. You’ll no longer experience that familiar “meh” of pants from last year that just don’t fit right, the keepsake from Aunt Jane that collects dust, or the hand-me-down chair you hate but whatever you’ll probably get better furniture someday.

If good is the enemy of great, then things that don’t spark joy are the enemy of a home where you can thrive.

—

The same is true in your business.

I talk to a lot of women whose businesses are squarely in the “good” camp. They have some clients, but they’re not the ones who really light them up. They’re making OK money, but not the money they want to be making. And they’re working way too much.

They haven’t yet been able to create a business that’s great. That thrives. That brings them peace and calm.

Frustrated, many of those women ask me what more they should be doing.

But I tell them instead that they need to do less. Focus on what’s working, and what brings you joy, and you will bring about more of the same in your life.

So let’s Marie Kondo the F out of your business:

• Work with the CLIENTS that bring you joy.

Stop saying yes to clients that don’t light you up. The ones you feel like you have to take because you need the work. Instead, get super clear on the clients you really want to work for. What makes them different? What distinguishes them? Then go get more of them. You don’t have to fire your clients tomorrow, but you can be much more selective about the ones you take on. This step alone will change how you show up in your business, and create space for you to do the work you truly love.

• Do the WORK that brings you joy.

Early on in my business, I offered all the marketing, all the business development, and all the sales technology. After all, that’s what I had learned how to do when I was running my own businesses, so I could now teach other people. But after a few projects, I realized that actually, I didn’t like doing a lot of it. Just because I could do it, didn’t mean I enjoyed it. So I niched down to the sales part: teaching women businsss owners how to get new clients, get the right leads, have confident sales conversations, master the sales process, and get paid more per project. When I stopped trying to do everything and started focusing on what brings me joy, I found that I could deliver even better results for my clients. And I had so much more fun.

• Charge the NUMBERS that bring you joy.

So many women I talk to are doing incredible work, but not charging enough for it. But, as the thinking goes, it’s better to have work at a lower rate than no work at all, right? Wrong. Those aren’t the only two options.
Charge what you want to make, and you will get clients who can pay those prices. Would you want to have 6 clients each paying you $6,000/month… or 36 clients each paying you $1,000/month?

There are people doing what you do that charge 100x your fees, and there is someone on Upwork who’s doing it at $4/hour, so forget the industry standard. Charge the numbers you want, so you can live the life you want.

—

You can get to a business that makes you more money, doing the work you love, for clients you absolutely adore. Just focus on less, not more.

And Marie Kondo the F out of it.

To your success,

Leah

1. Join the free Smart Gets Paid Group and connect with women entrepreneurs who are learning how to get clients too.

This is my new Facebook community where badass women like you learn how to get the clients they want, without feeling salesy. Click here to join.

 

2. Learn how to get new clients without feeling salesy, in 10 weeks

If getting new clients is on your to-do list, but you’re not sure where to start, I can help. You’ll learn step-by-step how to get the clients you want, without feeling salesy. And you’ll get the support you need to put learning into practice in your business.

 

3. Work with me privately


If you’d like to work directly with me to learn how to sell, get paid more, and get the clients you really want, just reply to this message and put “Private” in the subject line. Tell me a little about your business and what you’re struggling with when it comes to selling, and I’ll get you all the details.