In Client Attraction, Focus on Service, Not Accumulation

I’ve mentored a few already-successful solopreneurs recently who walk the line between ‘high-achiever’ and ‘overachiever’ and let me tell you, there IS a difference. You’ve heard me say many times that I work best with high-achieving go getters who know exactly what they want (usually it’s more clients, more in-come, with more time off to enjoy it all) and who say to me, “Fabienne, show me how to do it and I’ll do exactly what you say.” That’s the kind of person who sees results.

But sometimes, there’s a different breed of person. The person who takes on too much, too fast, and seems to always be RACING towards the next level. (I know firsthand about this, I used to be one.) The ‘high-achiever’ sets high goals and then does what it takes to make those goals happen. The ‘overachiever’ seems to want to accumulate just for the sake of accumulating. (I know, because again, I used to think like that.)

A few years ago, a coaching colleague asked me, “Hey, I notice that you move at a very fast pace. What’s the deal? Why do you feel the need to accomplish so much in such a short period of time?” I was stunned actually. Didn’t quite know how to answer. So I said, “It’s a game for me. Seeing how much I can accomplish is fun.” But it took me a while to “get” what he was trying to say.

I think that I was focused on accumulation rather than service. It was about amassing clients and in-come, probably having to do with proving something to someone from a bazillion years ago. Yes, it was a game, a competition against self, but was there a point to it all? Probably mo-ney, but even that is just a number sometimes. It began to feel like a hamster wheel, an empty process. There seemed to be no meaning to accomplishment at a fast pace.

It’s when I stepped back and looked into the REASON for why I started this business that it stopped being a race. I got focused on SERVICE again, on my purpose and skills, and why I got into this in the first place. I think I’d lost that along the way. The minute I realized this, Client Attraction became less about filling a void, and more about being of service. Less about accumulation, and more about really making a serious difference in people’s lives and businesses.

Being focused on service, I started being happier, clients got even better results, our friendship was deeper and even more satisfying, and the best part was, it stopped feeling like WORK. I started getting a feeling that I couldn’t believe I was being paid (well) for doing something so gratifying. And then I noticed something…

Ironically, when I tapped back into SERVICE, that’s when my in-come began growing much more rapidly. That’s when the referrals started pouring in again. That’s when my numbers started really increasing dramatically. That’s when bigger and bigger opportunities began coming my way.