We all want to grow our businesses. I have never talked to a business owner/entrepreneur who did not want their business to grow. What I have heard from some of these conversations about the ways they try to grow worries me. You have heard the expression “fake it til you make it”. This should not be a business growth strategy. Sometimes we have requests from clients who preface it by saying ‘you are so great at helping me with A&B, can you do C as well? Some of you may be so afraid of saying no, that the fake it temptation is strong. We don’t want our client s to find someone to do C because maybe that person will do A&B too and now you have lost the client. Unfortunately, that is a chance you may have to take. Lying to the client and saying you can handle something when you can’t is not the best approach to retention. It also adds a lot of stress to your life.
Another thing I see people doing when trying to grow is expanding services. When you try and add multiple services to your core business, especially services that are not related to your core, this can become confusing. If you do so much that I can’t remember everything you do, I may become overwhelmed and not sure whether to call you or not.
In the end, know what you know and admit when you don’t know something. Add value to you client by helping them find someone who does know about the extra service they are seeking. They are more likely to stick with you for A&B if you help them find someone for C and do not lie to them. Be a good resource for your clients. Remember honesty truly is the best policy.
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