The true cause of having toxic clients starts where most consultants never expect…
It rarely starts when you sign the deal…
Or when it comes time to fulfill the project…
It starts during the sales conversation.
Do you know why?
Because sometimes consultants say the damnedest things just to sign on a client.
And at the very end, at the finish line, they will do anything to win the deal.
They will discount their services, negotiate their terms, and add deliverables.
They will even shrink their timeline… and bend over backward to win the deal.
Yet here’s what your clients really think when you do this:
They know if they can walk all over you in a sales conversation…
Then they can walk all over you when it comes time to fulfill… and it will end up being a terrible experience for you.
What they secretly want, which they will never tell you, is…
They want you to stick to your guns
They want you to say:
“Here’s the fee, here’s the investment, here’s the price point, here are the terms.”
“Here’s how this is going to work because we believe this is what’s best for you.”
They want that leadership from you, and if they get it from you, they will follow your lead.
And if they don’t get it from you, they will walk all over you… and this will lead to having a toxic client.
Does that make sense?
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