Streamlining Your Client Roster.

Your clients are the backbone of your business. You work hard to develop their trust and maintain a relationship with them. Instinct may tell you to set a goal to get as many customers as possible, but that is not always the most effective way to grow your business and maximize income. Today, we'll examine three strategies for streamlining your client list and growing your bottom line.

Quality of client--Let's face it: some clients require a lot more time, manpower, and other resources. This doesn't necessarily mean they are difficult or unreasonable, they just take up a lot more bandwidth. Take a hard look at these clients and be honest about how much you are putting into these relationships and determine if keeping them on your roster makes sense. Does what you charge these clients truly a reflection of the time you are investing? If the answer is no, it's time to adjust pricing, or phase them out of your services.

Value added services--As for the core set of your clients, what needs can you identify that you can fulfill? Offering additional services to even just a few clients can really add to your bottom line without having to invest in finding and onboarding new clients.

Low paying clients--If you have a handful of customers who are barely utilizing your talents, it may be time to make a tough call. It may be in your best interest to take the small chunks of time you spend on these clients and put all of that into a client that uses more of your talents. Or maybe you can hire an assistant to do this work and free up your time for more high-level work.

It's never easy to take a critical look at your client list and consider parting ways with people you have developed a relationship with. You have certainly worked hard to gain their trust and earn their partnership. However, it's worth it to BOTH of you to make sure that the partnership is serving both of you to the best of your ability. At the end of the day, you AND your client will settle into a situation that serves your needs so much more effectively.