Have you ever wondered about the logistics of finding your match?
Caveat: When we say match, we refer to nearly every aspect of life for one individual – it can be a match in love, a match in friendship, a match in sports. I can see matches everywhere, between husband and wife, between best buddies, between dogs and their human parents.
For the purposes of this article, I want to talk about finding your match in business. For a long time now, I keep observing different entrepreneurs and their clients. Have you ever noticed that each entrepreneur has their own style and subsequently, their own type of clients? I’m pretty sure that if you pay attention, you’ll see what I mean.
I always used to say that my friend’s client could never be my client – we have different styles. I like to be casual with my clients, where my friend likes to be more formal. I like to take client relationships a bit further and make us both feel comfortable around each other. To be able to speak our minds, go beyond formalities and understand the person behind the business suit.
I have found that this specific approach is actually very healthy, eliminating the fear of competition, establishing a friendship, sharing experiences, and having a great laugh.
I often hear colleagues say when meeting a client: “That’s my kind of client!” That got me thinking: Who is your potential client? How do you determine them? Is it just intuition? I think it’s deeper and goes down to the details. Generally, details matter. Much like personal relationships, what drives us and keeps couples together are the small, seemingly not important details. I enjoy seeing entrepreneurs going into the first pitch, I try to predict, which approach will he or she take now in order to close the deal or at least come close to it. It’s very interesting to observe what kind of body language one uses and the choice of words.
The type of clients we choose say a lot about the type of entrepreneurs we are. They are mirrors of our ambition, and a lighthouse towards the destination we want to pursue. We are attracted to them like moths to a flame and analyzing our client list can often be a good way to assess and evaluate our approach.
Don’t treat business any different that you’d treat your personal life. Always aspire for someone that pushes you, that inspires you and makes you want to be a better person. Always aspir for a match made in heaven!
By Natalia Bredneva Konstantinides
