Boundaries are important; not only for your clients who need to understand that boundaries exist but also for you and your family. Do you have clients that call and text you at all hours of the day and night? This intrusion on personal and family time creates resentment from your family toward your business.
In other words, it’s a problem that needs to be addressed, Pronto!
I know that setting and enforcing boundaries can be a huge problem for many, but implement these 3 steps and clients who overstep boundaries will be a thing of the past.
In today’s video, I go over 3 steps to setting client boundaries.
Boundaries are important; not only for your clients who need to understand that boundaries exist but also for you and your family. Do you have clients that call and text you at all hours of the day and night? This intrusion on personal and family time creates resentment from your family toward your business.
In other words, it’s a problem that needs to be addressed, Pronto!
In today’s video, we will talk about 3 solutions so that overstepping boundaries are a thing of the past.
Step 1: Create “Collaboration Guidelines”
If you’re having a problem with clients failing to understand and recognize boundaries, it is time to sit down and create a set of “collaboration guidelines” for all your clients. While these won’t eliminate existing problems, which need to be addressed, they will help prevent some future problems with boundaries.
What should your collaboration guidelines include? Keep this document straightforward and simple. Include the following:
- Identify your office hours. These are the hours when you are available to answer phone calls (when not working with other clients), return phone calls, respond to emails, respond to text messages, etc.
- Establish realistic expectations for client communications. This is where you remind your clients that each of your clients is important to you. When you are working with one client, it may take a while to respond to another, but you will do so as soon as possible.
- Reiterate the importance of boundaries and personal time. Chances are that you’re working with them to encourage them to set boundaries in their own businesses. Clients need to understand that there are boundaries and limits to your availability, too. This is your opportunity to show them the importance of boundaries, office hours, realistic expectations, etc. in action.
It needs to be simple to read and contain few additional parameters, so the key details do not get lost in translation.
In the future, send out the “collaboration guidelines” whenever you give clients your personal contact information or in the Welcome Kit.
For existing clients, make it a teachable moment. Remind them that it is important for all professionals to establish boundaries and create “office hours.” Inform that these are your office hours and you would appreciate their understanding in limiting communications to these times.
Step 2: Create Auto-Reply Messages Outside of Office Hours
These auto-reply messages are important because they do several things at once without requiring you to interrupt your personal or family time to interact with your clients:
- They give you the opportunity to remind clients of your office hours.
- They let your clients know you will respond to their messages or requests during your next regular “office hours.”
- They allow you to remind your clients they are IMPORTANT to you. This way you do not risk alienating your clients through perceived unresponsiveness while honoring your own need for personal time and boundaries between work and life.
Step 3: Stick to Your Guns
This is sometimes the most difficult part of the process for people who dedicate their lives to HELPING other people. It is also essential that you hold yourself accountable to the standards you set for your business communications.
What does that mean for you?
Don’t answer your clients when they call, text, email, or send Facebook or Twitter messages after hours.
In fact, you should ONLY respond to them during normal business hours. UNLESS the client continues to push and reach out. Then, you should send a BRIEF reply telling them you are unavailable and EXACTLY when you can be reached (during your office hours…and restate the hours and days).
Boundaries are as important for your clients as they are for you. For you, they allow you the opportunity to relax and recharge, uninterrupted by work, with friends and family.
For your clients, it lets them know that they must create boundaries in their own lives with family, work, friends, and coworkers. It’s an important lesson that drives home the importance of valuing your time.
I know that setting and enforcing boundaries is a huge problem, but implementing these 3 steps will give you that relief you are looking for.
This month the theme is handling difficult client situations and I’ll be providing solutions to common issues.
And if you found today’s video helpful, check out my new Business Building Action Kit on sale. This kit comes with a step-by-step for handling 10 difficult client situations, a worksheet, an action checklist, a 4-week done-for-you calendar, a resource directory with links to tools and resources, and a 21 ideas blueprint. I cover difficult situations such as what to do if the client unexpectedly bails or changes her mind after she signs a contract and 8 other situations.
Catch up on other “Handling Difficult Client Situations With Ease” episodes:
Did you enjoy this episode and want to put it into action? Grab this kit!
10 Difficult Client Situations and How to Manage Them with Grace & Ease
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Operating a business in today’s climate is challenging in its own right. Dealing with difficult client situations can make it an even more problematic. Without carefully set and adhered to boundaries, problem clients can rob you of your joy in the work you do and take your time and attention away from other clients.
There are many things you can do to manage these difficult client situations more efficiently so you can get back on track and help your clients achieve the great things you know they’re capable of.
If you ask 50 coaches and service providers, within any specialties, if they have faced difficult client situations in their careers, all 50 of them will respond with a resounding, “Yes!” Difficult client situations are par for the course, especially in this line of work.
In this complete kit, I give you some tools to address 10 common difficult client situations in a manner that is as painless as possible for yourself, your business, and your clients.
What you Get with Your Kit:
- 25 Page Guide giving you solutions to 10 difficult client situations
- “21 Idea Blueprint” giving you twenty one ideas
- 4 week done-for-you calendar
- Comprehensive action checklist
- Resource Directory with links to tools and resources
- Worksheet – Use this Worksheet to start planning how you will handle difficult client situations!
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