The #1 Cause of Unhealthy Business Relationships

In the past year, have you:

• Pursued and landed a piece of business that you knew—deep down—would make you miserable?

• Stayed in a business relationship in which the other person had all the power and used it at your expense?

• Agreed to do work for a client who was a bad risk for paying you in a timely manner?

• Decided to provide services that you knew would not deliver high value to a client?

If so, you have experienced the #1 cause of unhealthy business relationships for solopreneurs: bad choices in selecting clients. Yes, I said “selecting.” I know what you’re saying, because I say it to myself: “I can’t be choosy in this economy!” Oh yes, you can. You have the power to choose your clients. Keep reading and I will explain how.

Bad choices steal time and they rob you of mental and physical energy. You can’t afford to squander time and energy! Over the course of time, bad choices cost you money and they can burn the joy of being a solopreneur. (Does it sound like I’ve made some bad choices in business relationships? Oh yeah.)

To consistently make excellent relationship choices, you need to look back at the goals for your business and then identify the people, or types of people, who are important for the achievement of those goals.

Also consider whether you want to work with the people you’ve identified. (How do you know if someone is a bad choice? If you get queasy when that person’s name shows up in your e-mail inbox, it’s a REALLY strong sign that you shouldn’t be working with that him or her.)

To improve your business relationships this week, I want you to do four simple things.

Ask yourself: How many people will I need to connect with (as prospects) in order to make my business a success?

Think about: What are the primary ways I will make those connections?

Remember: The strength of your relationships will determine whether you reach your goals.

And finally: list the names of people you need to connect with in order to reach your business goals. Next to their names, write how and when you will make those connections.

Now, make a good choice and get started.

Don’t Be Selfish!

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