A real estate agent came in to do Best Client work.
She brought her list of the 17 things her five best clients had in common:
1: They were late 30s-early 40s,
2: No kids
3: They all liked soccer
4: They all wear flip-flops
5: They all wear status watches
She could have been describing herself.
So I asked her the first name of her very best client ever. "Florence."
Think with me for just a minute - which of characteristics 1-5 fits Florence?
So I asked how old Florence is.
Oh, she's 80, and wonderful," the Realtor replied.
So I asked why Florence was selling her house.
"She's moving in with her daughter," was the answer.
And your second best ever client, I asked.
"Elizabeth. She's in her late 70s. Selling the house she and her husband raised four kids in, to go live with her daughter."
And your third best ever client?
"Dorothy. Also late 70s. Also moving in with her daughter. Very active in her church."
Bet you're seeing the pattern here.
Perhaps the most amazing gift from that session was the Realtor's relief.
"I really don't like to socialize with my clients," she shared. "I want to be friends with them, and I don't mind going over for dinner, but I want to keep my business and personal lives separate. The first list was about friends of mine who've done business with me -- but none of them really were my best clients."
I've done best client work more than a hundred business owners and none of them could be mistaken for their own best client. None.
Just because it's a cliche doesn't make it true.
Photo courtesy of Michael Veltman