Not Everyone Needs You

​As we approach Father’s Day, I pinch myself thinking about how lucky I am to have two beautiful children who need me and love me (most of the time😉) daily. I often take this supportive role as a parent for granted, and yet it is incredibly satisfying to know that these kids depend on me. It keeps me sharp and motivated to continue to grow my business knowing that by the time they reach college, I will have to take out a second mortgage if I do not.

In the earlier years of growing my practice, I had the mindset that every prospective client I reached out to would benefit from my help and that they would be crazy not to take advantage of it. You can call this mindset confident, ignorant, or both. Whatever it was, it would often set me up for disappointment when prospects would not want to hire me. If I let this discouragement get the better of me, it would take the wind out of my sails when it came to prospecting.

It was not until my father-in-law told me “Doug, don’t chase the money, let it come to you” that it clicked for me. Not everyone in the market needs me. They may be working with another coach. They may not have the budget to hire a coach, or their business could be going so well that they do not need a coach. Whatever the reason, that was okay because if everyone I reached out to did want to hire me, I would be overwhelmed and working way too many hours.

The biggest challenge that most professionals face in their business development efforts is incorporating the right mindset before reaching out to their prospects. Too many professionals approach it with the hope that every prospect they contact will want to hire them. Seems logical, yet what if they took on the attitude of “not every prospect I contact will want to hire me, and that is okay”? They need to reach out to enough people to get through the “nay-sayers” and reach the ones who thank them for the outreach and ultimately hire them. This approach takes patience, persistence, and resilience.

The important thing to remember is that for many of the prospects who say “no” or who do not respond at all, that does not necessarily mean never. It simply means not right now. So much of prospecting is about timing, hence the importance of not giving up on the ones who do not hire you right now. Their situation can always change down the road.

To all of you fathers, I would like to wish you a wonderful Father’s Day. Cherish those moments when your kids need you and do not dwell on those times when your prospects do not.

For all of you who are not fathers, yet are actively prospecting for new clients, consider changing your mindset to thinking that it is okay to have to sift through the ones who do not need you in order to find the ones who do. This will help reduce the frustration and lack of motivation in the process.