This morning I was reading a post from a friend.  In the post, they took a picture of a page of a book they are reading.  Sadly, I don’t know where this quote comes from.  But, I thought it was worth mentioning.  It is as follows…

“The world is filled with people who, no matter what you do, will point blank not like you… Don’t waste your precious time and gifts trying to convince them of your value, they won’t ever want what you’re selling.”

The article was geared at parents raising children, but it struck me as a profound point when it comes to business.  The truth is not everyone will like your ideas and you won’t click with every potential client.  That’s ok.  Many times businesses try to be everything to everyone.  It’s a mistake.

Too many times I’d heard clients complaining that they didn’t like the ad/ brochure / catalog / website design another agency had created for them.  They’d say “the designs don’t work” or  “I hate this, but I don’t want to deal with the artist,” so they lived with their less than perfect design that didn’t encompass who they were as a business. That’s crazy. Why use a product that doesn’t work?

We as artists need to check our ego at the door and be ok with those in the business world that simply don’t like us.  Our style isn’t for everyone, and that’s ok.

I’ve learned that I may not be a fit for every project and situation. If we aren’t a good fit, both businesses will be better off moving on to something that will be a much better fit. Because you’ll be wasting both your time and theirs.

So, how do you find that fit? You can simply look to your existing clients, or you can define your perfect client by…

Action: Who is your perfect client? (existing or potential) Study them.

Final Thought: You’re not for everyone.