Clients expect consultants and other professional services providers to be successful. If you’re good at what you do, then you should have the bank to back it up. But given the financial turmoil of the recent past, there are many talented, hard-working people who are still trying to spend less than they make, negotiate their underwater mortgage and rebuild their credit scores. Their small business finances and personal finances are in bad shape and this can hurt them.
It’s difficult to accumulate the outward signs of success—a nice office, a luxury car, a proper wardrobe—if you’re working on the basics again. It can also be a problem if your potential clients decide to conduct a standard background check on you before making a final hiring decision. A bankruptcy filing, collection actions and other embarrassing details can kill the deal. What can you do to protect yourself?
Don’t let your small business finances hurt you – understand it’s a matter of trust
Potential clients are looking for signs that they can trust you. They want assurances that you can do what you say and that your solution will solve the problem they have. Most people assume that a successful consultant or professional services provider will also be in good financial shape. If they’re not, many take that as a sign to look elsewhere.
Your job is to win your potential clients’ trust. First, engage with them at their offices and show them what you know. Offer previous clients as references so that they may independently confirm your abilities. Spend some time improving the search engine results page (SERP) for your name. When asked (and yes, you will be asked), be honest about your financial condition. You can also point out to the client that since you’re working hard to get your business back on track, it’s just another reason you’ll do your best work to ensure that the client is happy and can refer you to more business.
