Hey Confident Lady,
This week we are talking “Boundaries in Business Part I". Here are a few questions to ask yourself this week:
// Have I created good boundaries in my business?
// Have I created good boundaries in my life?
// Do I stick to these boundaries or do I let people cross them?
// Can I identify what makes me more vulnerable which in turn allows people to cross them?
Remember this ----> Improved Confidence = healthier Boundaries = HEALTHIER MINDSET. And a HEALTHIER MINDSET = More Business SUCCESS.
Here are TWO tips to take away this week:
1. First Identify your boundaries for non clients. Do you allow everyone and their mother to pick your brain? Do you give free advice from facebook messenger? Yep! I am bringing up the ELEPHANT in the ROOM. So many of my clients and colleagues talk about this. They have potential clients reach out looking for free advice and before they know it they are sucked in and coaching everyone for FREE. Honestly, I was there when I first started. My inbox would get FLOODED with brain pickers, it sucked the life outa me, I couldn't keep up, and sadly believed if I didn't give them free advice I’d be missing out from a potential client. WRONG.
None of those people ever bought and why WOULD they buy if they were getting free 1:1, ON DEMAND, laser coaching? Don’t get me wrong, you know I am all for GIVING and building my business off of giving away free coaching calls, but these are done strategically and WITH BOUNDARIES. I now only check FB messenger periodically, know that if it’s important they will EMAIL me, and am comfortable if I do read it to redirect them to ask the question in my FB group for all to benefit from. Are you giving it all away for free or are you setting a boundary so if people want to pick your brain they need to pick a payment method (thanks Marie F for this one!) !?
2. Second identify your boundaries for working with clients. Do you have a questionnaire or application that future clients need to complete in order to get on the phone with you? THIS has SAVED my time and energy big time. I now ONLY get on the phone with qualified customers. Yes, a lot less calls than if I had my calendar open for the world, but close right is HIGH because they are serious about working together. Also, when you begin with a client do you start with a contract? Are you clear with how often you are available and the best way to reach you? Are you good at respecting your time and wrapping the call up when the time is over? Way too many women come to me completely depleted because they are spending HOURS answering client emails and spending DOUBLE time in their sessions than they agreed on. They become resentful toward their clients for enabling this behavior and are now afraid to set a boundary because expectations are so high. Pretty please do NOT fall into this trap. Your clients WILL respect your boundaries when you set them from day one.
And now for a little wisdom..... continue to remind yourself that boundaries protect your mindset. You need to do what you feel aligned with in your business. If having a super clear and detailed client contract feels good for you, then do it. If you know that after 6pm you are no longer in your zone of genius for client calls, make sure you don’t keep your calendar open for after 6pm calls.
Again, this protects not only YOU but your CLIENT. I tell my clients that after 8pm my mind begins to shut down for the night. I start cooking dinner at 8 and then it’s relax time on the couch for me! If I decided to see a client after this time I probably wouldn’t be showing up as presently as I would at say 8am. And in terms of “brain picking”-- If I allowed everyone to pick my brain through email and FB messenger each day, I wouldn’t have the energy to devote to my paying 1:1 clients. Me redirecting people back to the CLC is me setting a boundary to protect and respect the current clients I work with. Make sense?
I'd love to hear how you handle “boundaries” in your business? Does anything hit home with you or confirm something you've been feeling for some time? I’d love to hear your feedback and even experience with this. Please share below in the comments.
XO Kate