Imagine a world where you could identify potential problematic clients before they had the chance to disrupt your projects or cause you stress. Picture a streamlined client selection process that ensures you only collaborate with clients who understand and appreciate your value, leading to mutually beneficial partnerships. This ideal scenario isn't just a dream—it's entirely within your reach.
Not everyone is your client. Allowing everyone through your doors can lead to a false economy where the cost to your peace of mind and business outweighs any financial gain. By refining how you filter clients, you can not only protect your business but also enhance your overall disposition and productivity.
The Wisdom of Chris Do: A Creative Entrepreneur’s Insight on Client Relationships
Chris Do, the founder and CEO of The Futur—a business school tailored for creatives—has made it his mission to empower creative entrepreneurs. With over 22 years of experience running a design business, multiple awards including an Emmy, and a YouTube channel boasting over 2 million subscribers, Do has become a leading voice in helping creatives succeed. He’s passionate about teaching 1 billion people how to make a living doing what they love, offering courses, community support, and online coaching to guide creatives through the intricacies of entrepreneurship.
One of Do's core teachings revolves around asking the right questions to avoid nightmare client situations and foster successful collaborations. By combining his insights with powerful AI-driven prompts, you can fine-tune your client screening process to ensure that every project starts on the right foot.
5 Essential ChatGPT Prompts to Improve Your Client Screening Process
To help you refine your client selection, international AI business trainer and prompt engineer Kyle Balmer has developed five ChatGPT prompts. These prompts are designed to identify potential client issues before they arise, ensuring that you only take on projects with clients who are likely to lead to successful outcomes. Here's how you can use these prompts to protect your business and set the foundation for fruitful collaborations.
1. Uncover the Gap Between Desire and Results
Unhappy clients are often a result of unmet expectations, stemming from a gap between what they desire and what they actually receive. According to Chris Do, understanding this gap is crucial for identifying potential challenges and opportunities in client relationships.
The problem might not always lie with the client—it could be a matter of miscommunication or a misalignment between your services and their expectations. To ensure that your service meets their needs, it's essential to probe into this gap from the very beginning. Here’s a prompt to help you do just that:
Prompt:
"You are a business analyst specializing in identifying gaps between client goals and current results. Based on this initial client statement [insert potential client's description of their needs], identify potential gaps between their desired outcomes and current situation, [add details of their desires and realities], and suggest three probing questions to better understand these gaps, as well as possible red flags (theirs or ours) that might indicate unrealistic expectations or misalignment."
By using this prompt, you can uncover any discrepancies between what a client expects and what they’re currently experiencing, allowing you to address potential issues early on.
2. Explore the Client's Future Vision
Understanding a client’s long-term vision is key to determining whether you can help them achieve their goals. Chris Do recommends a forward-thinking approach by asking clients to imagine their success three years into the future. This technique not only helps you gauge their clarity but also assesses whether their expectations align with your services.
Prompt:
"You are an expert in analyzing responses to the question I ask potential clients before working with them: 'If we were having this discussion 3 years from today and you were looking back over those 3 years, what has to have happened in your life both personally and professionally for you to feel happy with your progress working with us?' Based on this client response [insert client's answer to the 3-year question], evaluate the clarity of their vision, and potential misalignments between their goals and my services, [describe your services]."
This prompt will help you determine if a client’s future vision is realistic and whether your services can truly help them achieve their desired outcomes.
3. Assess the Client's Willingness to Change
As the saying goes, “Everyone wants different results, but they don’t want to do anything different.” This quote, shared by both bodybuilder Ronnie Coleman and Chris Do, highlights a common challenge in client relationships: clients who want change without putting in the necessary work.
To ensure that your efforts are met with equal commitment from the client, it’s crucial to assess their readiness for transformation. This prompt will help you identify clients who are genuinely willing to embrace change:
Prompt:
"You are a change management consultant. Given this summary of a potential client's current practices and desired outcomes: [insert summary], analyze the scale of change required to achieve their goals, with potential resistance points or areas of discomfort. Next, suggest three questions I could ask them, to gauge their genuine willingness to implement necessary changes."
By using this prompt, you can evaluate a client’s openness to change and identify any potential resistance that could hinder the project’s success.
4. Evaluate the Client's Perspective on Expertise
A successful client-consultant relationship hinges on mutual respect and trust. Clients need to value your expertise and be open to your professional advice. However, some clients may be overly prescriptive or dismissive, which can lead to micromanagement and conflict.
To spot these red flags early on, use the following prompt to assess a client’s attitude towards your expertise:
Prompt:
"You are an expert in client-consultant relationships. Based on these statements from a potential client about their project needs [insert client statements, potentially from a triage call], assess their openness to professional advice and new perspectives. Then, identify potential signs of micromanagement or distrust in expert opinions. Finally, suggest three tactful ways to address any concerning attitudes about the value of your expertise."
This prompt will help you identify clients who might challenge your expertise and allow you to address these concerns before they escalate.
5. Identify Potential Scope Creep
Scope creep is a common issue in creative projects, where the original scope of work expands beyond the initial agreement, often without corresponding increases in budget or timeline. Chris Do emphasizes the importance of comprehensive project planning to mitigate scope creep.
To prevent this issue from arising, use the following prompt to identify potential scope creep early in the project:
Prompt:
"You are a project management specialist focusing on scope definition. Given this initial project description from a potential client [insert project description], identify: three areas where scope creep is likely to occur, questions to ask the client to clarify project boundaries, and potential red flags in the client's language that might indicate unrealistic expectations about deliverables or timelines."
By using this prompt, you can pinpoint areas where scope creep is likely to occur and set clear boundaries with your client from the outset.
Applying Chris Do’s Wisdom to Transform Your Client Relationships
Using these prompts, you can integrate Chris Do’s insights into your client screening process, leading to more successful and mutually beneficial projects. By delving into the gap between expectations and reality, understanding a client’s long-term vision, assessing their willingness to change, evaluating their respect for your expertise, and pre-empting scope creep, you can protect your business from problematic clients.
Ultimately, the key to a thriving business lies in making informed decisions about the clients you choose to work with. By asking the right questions and using these AI-driven prompts, you can set the stage for collaborations that are not only productive but also enjoyable.
How Do You Handle Problematic Clients?
We’ve shared strategies to help you identify and avoid problematic clients, but what about you? Have you ever had a challenging client? How did you manage the situation, and what steps did you take to prevent similar issues in the future? Share your experiences and insights in the comments below! Your stories could help others navigate their own client relationships more effectively.
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