A father said to his daughter, “You have graduated with honors, here is a car I bought many years ago. It is pretty old now. But before I give it to you, take it to the used car lot downtown and tell them I want to sell it and see how much they offer you for it.”
The daughter went to the used car lot, returned to her father and said, “They offered me $1,000 because they said it looks pretty worn out.”
“Okay,” the father said. “Now take it to the pawn shop.”
The daughter went to the pawn shop, returned to her father and said, ”The pawn shop offered only $100 because it is an old car.”
“I see,” the father said. “Now go to the car club and show them the car. Come back and tell me what they say.”
The daughter then took the car to the club, returned and told her father, “Some people in the club offered me $100,000 for it because it’s a Nissan Skyline R34. They said it’s an iconic car and sought by many collectors.”
The father listened for a moment and then spoke.
“The right place values you the right way,” he said. “If you are not valued, do not be angry, it only means you are in the wrong place. Those who know your value are those who appreciate you. Never stay in a place where no one sees your value.”
I share this story because a lot of business owners feel like they aren’t truly valued by their clients. But it doesn’t have to be that way.
One of the biggest lightbulb moments that came to me was that you can actually attract the right kind of clients (those that value and appreciate you) through proper marketing.
When I first started my photography business right out of college, I felt like I had to accept any and all types of clients. “How can I afford to be picky?” was the thought I kept hearing inside my head.
The problem was that many of those clients were simply not a good fit for me. They either wanted work outside of my sweet spot or they were not open to any sort of direction from me.
And working with these types of people burned me out. But once I realized that by clearly defining who I will work with and what specific projects I’d work on, I gained control over the types of clients I was attracting to my business.
No more price hagglers or dictator clients. Just great people that admired and respected my services. Total game changer. I wasn’t dreading the day ahead of me anymore but was energized and excited about working with awesome people.
This is the transformation that can occur with your business through clear and effective marketing. It attracts the right people…and repels all the rest.
If you would like some help making this transition, give me a call or shoot me a text: 801-633-1853.