I heard somebody the other day tell
a group of his peers that he’s serving fewer clients these days and working far
less than he used to. But, he says, he’s much happier than he used to be, and
he’s making much more money.
His secret: he’s telling some of
his long-standing clients that he cannot serve them anymore, and he’s sending
them to somebody else – usually his competition. Mind you he’s not ridding
himself of his best clients. He’s shedding those clients that don’t pay on
time, that quibble about his fees, that drive his staff nuts with their nit
picking, who have unrealistic expectations, or who are downright abusive and
expect to get away with it because they are paying for the right to do so.
Still, it’s tough to tell someone who pays, and who keeps coming back to pay
again and again, that it’s time to hit the road.
He calls it ‘tough love’. Whatever
you call it, it is a tough prescription for many to follow.