Hi there, I'm Greg Merrilees from Studio1 Design, and welcome to this episode of the Real Magic podcast. My co-host Alan and I are excited to dive into an important topic today - how to only take on awesome clients and avoid the dreaded "bad" clients that can bring down the morale of your entire business.

As a small design agency, we've certainly had our fair share of challenging client experiences over the years. But through trial and error, we've developed a system that helps us filter out the tire kickers and time-wasters, and attract only the best-fit clients that are a joy to work with.

In this episode, I'm going to share the three key elements of our client qualification process. First, we have a detailed pre-qualifying questionnaire that prospective clients need to fill out before we even schedule a call. This helps us get a sense of their needs, their budget, and whether they're likely to be a good fit.

Secondly, we put a lot of thought and care into our sales page, making it crystal clear who our services are for (and who they're not for). We use an "Apply Now" button instead of a simple "Buy Now", which helps weed out the casual browsers.

And thirdly, we put a huge emphasis on showcasing our best work and most glowing client testimonials. We know that the clients we love working with will attract more of the same - so we make sure our portfolio and case studies highlight those success stories.

Throughout our discussion, Alan and I will dive into the nitty-gritty details of how we implement each of these strategies. Our goal is to give you a roadmap for qualifying your own clients, so you can spend more time doing the work you love, for the people who appreciate it most.

So without further ado, let's jump in! I'm excited to share these insights with you.

• Preferences for footwear, wearing the same outfit every day, and learning about Google Cloud computing
• A pre-qualifying process essential for filtering out difficult clients and ensuring aligned expectations
• Retail sales strategies focus on destination stores and pre-qualifying clients through behavior and communication
• The crucial role of clarity in the sales process for high-ticket items, including pre-qualification and attracting better talent
• How clarity in sales pages, including FAQs and testimonials, attracts clients and reduces support inquiries
• How clear expectations and saying no to non-core products boost your expertise in your core products and make your life 100 times easier

How to ONLY Take on Awesome Clients (and Avoid the Nightmares)

As a small design agency, my co-founder Alan and I have certainly had our fair share of challenging client experiences over the years. You know the ones - the clients who constantly move the goalposts, nitpick every little detail, and make your life a living hell.

The kind of clients that bring down the morale of your entire team, and make you question why you got into this business in the first place.

But through a lot of trial and error, we've developed a system that helps us filter out the tire kickers and time-wasters, and attract only the best-fit clients that are an absolute joy to work with. In this article, I'm going to share the three key elements of our client qualification process.

Pre-Qualifying Questionnaire

‍The first step in our process is a detailed pre-qualifying questionnaire that prospective clients need to fill out before we even schedule a call. This typically takes them around an hour to complete, and it serves a few important purposes:

1. It positions us as the experts. 

By having a structured process in place, we demonstrate that we know what we're doing and that we take our work seriously. Clients appreciate that level of professionalism.

2. It weeds out the tire kickers. 

If someone isn't willing to invest the time to fill out our questionnaire, they're probably not serious about working with us. We want clients who are truly committed to the process.

3. It gives us crucial insights upfront.

The questionnaire covers things like the client's goals, their budget, their timeline, and any other key details we need to assess whether they're a good fit. This helps us avoid wasting time on calls with misaligned expectations.

By the time a prospect schedules a call with us, they've already invested significant time and energy into our process. This makes them much more likely to be serious about moving forward, rather than just kicking the tires.

Clarity on the Sales Page

‍Another key element of our client qualification process is the design of our sales page. We put a lot of thought and care into making it crystal clear who our services are for (and who they're not for).

For example, we use an "Apply Now" button instead of a simple "Buy Now". This helps weed out the casual browsers and ensures that only the most serious prospects are moving forward.

We also make sure to list out exactly what's included in our services, as well as any potential add-ons or hidden costs. One of the biggest pain points we used to have was clients assuming certain things were included, only to be surprised by additional fees later on.

By addressing these potential objections upfront, we save ourselves (and our clients) a lot of headaches down the road.

We even go so far as to specify the types of clients we work best with, and the ones we tend to avoid. For instance, we make it clear that we don't generally work with startups or brand-new products. Our sweet spot is established businesses who need to expand or rebrand their existing product lines.

Killer Testimonials & Case Studies

‍The final piece of our client qualification puzzle is our portfolio of work and client testimonials. We know that the clients we love working with will attract more of the same - so we make sure our website highlights those success stories.

When gathering testimonials, we follow a specific framework of 5 questions:

1. What was your biggest pain point or frustration before working with us?
2. What obstacle nearly prevented you from working with us?
3. How would you describe your experience dealing with our team and our process?
4. What's the best result you've achieved from our work together?
5. Who else would you recommend us to?

By guiding our clients through this structured set of questions, we're able to capture powerful testimonials that speak directly to the concerns of our target audience. No more generic "They did a great job!" type of feedback.

We also make sure to only showcase logos and case studies of clients that we truly enjoyed working with. There's no point in trying to attract more of the "problem" clients by highlighting those relationships.

Instead, we want our portfolio to reflect the kind of work we excel at, for the type of clients we want more of. It's all about positioning ourselves as the go-to experts for our ideal customers.

The Results Speak for Themselves

‍Implementing these three key elements of our client qualification process has been absolutely transformative for our business. We now spend far less time dealing with difficult clients, allowing our team to thrive and focus on delivering exceptional work for awesome clients.