I have had the pleasure of working as an independent consultant for almost a year now, having left a job with The Grabill Cabinet Company as Marketing and IT Director. Helping clients with web-based app development and supporting marketing agencies with their site build-outs has been a great experience. In addition to my other business endeavors, the last year has reinforced one of the key lessons learned:

Ideal clients

Whenever possible, find your ideal clients and take amazing care of them. For me, I have two clients who fit that category. They are ideal clients in every sense of the term:

• I do my very best work when working with them
• Their personality and corporate culture match mine
• Each of us leaves meetings feeling excited and energized
• We value what each of us brings to the relationship
• Both of our organizations are better off together than apart
• All our interactions feel effortless, built on a lot of trust
• We can be really honest with one another

It’s not a new idea, and certainly not something I came up with. A number of authors and sharp businesspeople understand that we do our best work when partnering with clients (and fellow employees) who are a good fit. Michael Port calls it the “Velvet Rope Policy” in Book Yourself Solid. 37Signals puts it this way, “These clients are hard to find, so when we get them we treat them well.”

Treat them like royalty

The critical thing is to take the best care of these clients once you find them. They are difficult to discover and deserve your best. These clients will draw out your best and will refer you to others more often.

When the rubber meets the road, I bend over backwards for my ideal clients and delight in every moment. When an emergency came up that required a last-minute trip 4 hours into Michigan, I was glad to go. When adding a bit of extra work to a project scope delivers a significantly better product, I do it at no charge.

I take every opportunity to thank them for their business, both verbally, in writing, and my doing something special for them. As an example, my wife and I had a tremendously enjoyable evening out at a very nice restaurant with a client and his wife. Because these clients are such a good fit, one doesn’t have to maintain a sterile separation between work and family.

At the end of the day, my ideal clients love doing business with me, and I feel the same about them.

Create a gracious exit for the rest

Look at the people you do work for. Which ones energize and excite you? Care for them and find more like them. And, the clients who constantly frustrate and drain you of your creativity? Take care of them, too. But look for opportunities to find someone else who they might be ideal for, then let them go.

That’s not just talk. Just today, I began that process with a client, looking out for what was best for them, even though it meant I would get less work from them. With the challenging environment we all find ourselves in, that’s harder than ever to do. It can be painful, but in the long run, very worthwhile.

As a self-employed developer and consultant, I continually seek to refine my business methodologies, toolkit, and skills. That passion for constant improvement extends to my relationship with my family. Maintaining a healthy balance between the work that I love and the family I treasure represents an exciting challenge that requires regular evaluation and review. I vigorously protect my family time with strict limits on my work hours and try to give my full attention to the family when away from work.

Making hay…

If you have ever been self-employed, you know that there are seasons when you have to work above and beyond. As the saying goes, “Make hay while the sun is shining.” That’s especially true for me right now as I look to work ahead so that I can take some time off for the imminent birth of our third little girl and respect several deadlines set with my clients.

So now that I’m working most evenings and getting less sleep, the question that I wrestle with is, “How do I keep my family energized while I get through this challenging season?” I have found one couple critical discipline that has helped immensely:

Daddy-daughter dates

I find that getting special time with my girls (who are 2 yrs and 3 1/2 yrs old) makes all the difference to them. A little time where Dad gives them his undivided attention goes a long way. As a favor to my wife to let her sleep in, I started a “daddy-daughter date” tradition. Little did I know that this would become one of the highlights of my week.

Every Saturday, my girls know that when they wake up, they’ll be going out with Dad. I get them dressed as quietly as possible and we sneak out of the house (pleased to know that my wife is getting some much needed sleep). We pick somewhere for breakfast. Most of the time, I go with something like Panera. Sometimes we do Bob Evans or the girls will convince me to do McD or Burger King (they love the play land).

Afterwards, we find somewhere to go together. Their favorite is one of the parks or jungle gyms, although even a trip through target works great. We usually return home around 10 or 11a to find Mom refreshed and excited to hand out as a family. She feels appreciated and supported and I can really relate to how much work it is for her to have them all week long while I’m away at work.

There are so many benefits that I could hardly name them all, but here’s a few:

• Dedicated time with your kids is incredibly important
• You get extra practice dressing them and handling any surprises, making you a bigger help later when your spouse needs a hand
• Your kids will learn (very fast) how to behave appropriately in public
• Seeing you do something kind for your spouse is good for your kids
• You will enjoy the time to talk with them and appreciate their company

The web offers your potential clients a glut of options when it comes to selecting who to buy a product or service from. It seems that most businesses choose one of two roads:

• Focusing Outside: Focusing on what their customer needs while striving for excellence. Looking at best practices and always seeing opportunities to learn.
• Looking Inside: Deciding what the business wants, then looking for customers who will accept doing operating on their terms. They see little value in constant improvement and assume that they already know all they need to.

While the first perspective seems to be in the minority, there’s a growing renaissance of small (and large) businesses taking up the call to delight the customer.

While it may not be the easiest a client-focused perspective is good for the soul and makes for a more fulfilling workday. I firmly believe in creating relationships with clients who will come back again and again. The old-school mentality of “sell everyone once” makes me cringe.

Practitioners

It’s not about having good ideas. Half the business books seem to be written by a one-hit wonder or someone with a really great sounding idea. Forget those and focus on soaking your mind with the thoughts of those who do it:

37 Signals

Their blog, Signal vs Noise, offers a steady stream of solid advice and hard-earned experience from the software service industry. They are stubbornly particular about not pleasing everyone, yet carefully crafting every one of their products to delight those who fit their products.

Signal vs Noise Blog

Creative Good

Mark Hurst and his team have been evangelizing for putting customer experience first for more than a decade. Their time-tested insight cut against much of mainstream “wisdom” while having a surprising authenticity. They walk the talk.

I especially appreciate their newsletter which offers concrete examples and input on why experience is so critical.

Good Experience Blog

Zingerman’s

A deli turned customer care/service powerhouse. Their simple perspective and brilliant execution (always the hard part) gives them tremendous credibility when it comes to customer happiness. No environment is harder than a retail store (especially food-related, I’ve been there).

Having visited one of their stores during a customer care research field trip, I can definitely say that their system and methodology is impressive.

Customer care and training arm of Zingerman’s: ZingTrain

Zingerman’s Guide to Giving Great Service