But that's not all that distinguishes people from each other.  It's also the purity of intention, intensity of focus, and degree of belief they have within themselves.  That varies wildly depending on the personality and belief system of the person involved, as well as their clarity of vision and strength of purpose.

Okay fine, but so what?  Well, I think it's really helpful to be able to distinguish certain client types so you can better serve them.  I also think it's useful to do some self-examination and ask yourself, "How do the service providers I've hired see me as a client?"

 

In our coaching and training business, we attract clients that fall into three broad categories.  I'm guessing you'll relate to them regardless of what profession you happen to be in.

Roughly a third are go-getters ... successful, high-achieving, self-confident folks with a clear purpose and loads of motivation who just need targeted help developing an effective plan of action and some pointed coaching to keep them on track and moving consistently forward. 

About a third are more deliberate and less bold.  Call them the moderately motivated middle.  They have their dreams and many want to be go-getters, but they struggle with doubts and insecurities or they just don't know how to achieve the kind of confidence and vision the first group has.

 

The last group is the nay-sayers and foot draggers.  They're just going through the motions, either consciously or subconsciously, because they think they should or an employer or spouse or trusted advisor told them they needed to.  Or perhaps they have such negative internal dialogue and strong fears that they can't seem to do what they themselves recognize they need to do.

 

No client is better than another, but some are certainly easier to work with.  The common thread is that they all need your help in some form or another.  And the nature of that help couldn't look more different.

 

For the first group, we guide.  We collaborate to determine what they should do.  They do it and thrive.  They're easy.

 

For the next group, we help them to gently move into the upper third's world.  We offer lots of support and encouragement as we seek to build up belief.  We start with easy wins and go from there to establish an upward spiral of success.

 

The last group is the hardest, because either their intentions aren't as clear as they need to be or they lack belief in themselves ... or they're a reflexive "no" to the input they get.  That typically results in tentative behavior and weak or non-existent follow through.  While the go-getters are blasting through their days getting things done, this group is still trying to get out of the starting gate.  We help these folks by believing in them and being patient, because they're starting from a shaky foundation.  You don't go directly from "no" or "I don't know" to "Yes!" overnight. 

 

But, as contrary as it sounds, we also have to be rigorous and demand performance from these folks or we wouldn't be serving their best interests.

 

What does that look like?  Well, if we put our heads together with the client and develop a marketing plan for them and they aren't working it, we'll be patient.  We know it takes a while for most of us to get past the anxieties and doubts of doing something new that stretches us.  People need a little time and encouragement to acclimate to a new role. 

 

But if someone is so uncomfortable that they simply can't bring themselves to take the actions they need to take, it's our job to guide them to other possible options that might be a better fit for them.  And if they still can't get into action after a reasonable period of time, what then?  It's our job to assist that person in deeply examining their intentions ... sometimes even to the point of asking them if they think they really belong in the business they've chosen.