One of the advantages of working with fewer clients is having more time for each of them.
That may sound obvious, but the financial implications aren’t always appreciated.
During my years as a kitchen and bath designer, I developed a small network of trusted remodeling contractors and appliance salespeople who referred clients to me.
Those referred clients generally purchased 20% to 25% more than other customers.
They were also usually easier to work with. They arrived with a degree of trust already established, their projects were often better defined, and the design and selling process generally moved along more efficiently.
That meant I could generate comparable revenue while working with fewer clients.
Consider the arithmetic.
Forty projects averaging $15,000 produce $600,000 in sales.
Thirty projects averaging $20,000 produce the same $600,000.
Ten fewer projects to design, coordinate, order, and manage.
But the real benefit went beyond the numbers.
I had more time to pay attention to the small details that can make a considerable difference to a homeowner.
And I wasn’t doing it alone.
The contractors who referred these clients had their own relationships and reputations to protect. They were just as interested as I was in making sure the homeowner was satisfied.
We communicated with each other and with the client throughout the project.
I can’t recall a single client from those referral relationships complaining that we weren’t keeping them informed.
Quite the opposite. Homeowners regularly expressed appreciation for the attention and communication they received from both of us.
That coordination also made the work easier.
The contractor understood the remodeling project. I understood the cabinetry, design, ordering, and installation requirements.
We could anticipate problems, share information, and resolve small issues before they became larger ones.
The resulting projects were generally more profitable, required less rework, and left me with more time to provide the kind of personal service customers appreciated.
And those satisfied customers sometimes became referral sources themselves.
Over time, I began to recognize a useful pattern.
Better-qualified clients made it easier to provide better service.
Better service produced more satisfied clients.
Satisfied clients helped introduce more of the same kind of business.
The network strengthened itself through the quality of the work being done.
For a smaller professional practice, the objective doesn’t necessarily have to be serving more clients.
Sometimes serving fewer, better-qualified clients—exceptionally well—can produce a healthier and more profitable business.