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- Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
- Kategorie: Fachliteratur
- Sprache: Englisch
Expand your book of business at your creative agency or freelance service
In Book Yourself Solid for Creatives, bestselling author Michael Port and Joana Galvao deliver a game-changing and super-specific playbook for creative professionals seeking to fill their pipeline with dozens or hundreds of qualified leads and convert them into paying clients. The authors explain how to achieve your business goals, pack your calendar with high-value clients, and increase your top- and bottom-lines.
In the book, you'll find effective strategies adapted from the author's bestselling Book Yourself Solid that work perfectly in the challenging and unique space occupied by creative professionals. You'll also discover:
- Actionable techniques and frameworks you can implement immediately to dramatically increase the number of valuable and qualified leads in your pipeline
- How to differentiate your services from your most relevant and closest competitors
- How to improve your workflows and efficiency so you can accommodate your newly expanded pipeline
Perfect for graphic designers, artists, writers, freelance artists, and other creative professionals, Book Yourself Solid for Creatives is the blueprint for agency and business growth that you've been waiting for.
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Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2025
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Table of Contents
Cover
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
Joana's Note
Preface
Acknowledgments
Module ONE: Your Foundation
CHAPTER 1: The Red VelvetRope Policy
Dump the Duds
The Old Man, the Little Boy, and the Donkey
What to Do When You Don't (Yet) Have Clients
Pruning Your Client List
Creating Your Red Velvet Rope Policy
Ideal Clients, the Duds, and Everyone Else
A Perpetual Process
CHAPTER 2: Why People Buy What You're Selling
Step 1: Identify Your Target Market
Step 2: Identify the Urgent Needs and Compelling Desires of Your Target Market
Step 3: Determine the Biggest Result Your Clients Get
Step 4: Uncover and Demonstrate the Benefits of Your Investable Opportunities
CHAPTER 3: Develop a Personal Brand
Branding
You Are Uniquely You
The Three Components of Your Personal Brand
Roma Non è Stata Construita un Giorno (Rome Wasn't Built in a Day)
CHAPTER 4: How to Talk About What You Do
Developing Your Book Yourself Solid Dialogue
Five‐Part Book Yourself Solid Dialogue Formula
Getting into a Book Yourself Solid Dialogue with Ease
Module TWO: Building Trust and Credibility
CHAPTER 5: Becoming a Likable Expert in Your Field
The Standard Credibility Builders
Standards of Service
Becoming and Establishing Yourself as a Category Authority
The Power of Likeability
CHAPTER 6: The Book Yourself Solid Sales CycleProcess
Building Relationships of Trust
Turn Strangers into Friends and Friends into Clients
The Book Yourself Solid Six Keys to Creating Connection: Who, What, Where, When, Why, and How
The Book Yourself Solid Sales Cycle Process
The Book Yourself Solid Always‐Have‐Something‐to‐Invite‐People‐to Offer
Use the Book Yourself Solid Sales Cycle to Unconditionally Serve Your Clients
CHAPTER 7: The Book Yourself Solid Keep‐in‐Touch Strategy
Relevant, Interesting, Current, and Valuable Content
Product and Service Offerings
Choosing Your Keep‐in‐Touch Tools
Automating Your Keep‐in‐Touch Strategy
Module THREE: Simple Selling and Perfect Pricing
CHAPTER 8: Perfect Pricing
Don't Buy into a Poverty Mindset
Pricing Models
When to Lower Prices, Discount, and Offer Specials
When to Raise Prices
CHAPTER 9: Super Simple Selling
Letting Go of Limiting Beliefs
Shifting Your Perspective
Successful Selling Needs the Right Amount of Trust at Just the Right Time
The Secret to the Book Yourself Solid System
Book Yourself Solid Four‐Part Sales Formula
Cut the Crap Out of Selling
Pre‐Qualifying Clients Using the Book Yourself Solid Super Simple Selling System
Module FOUR: The Book Yourself Solid Six Core Self‐Promotion Strategies
CHAPTER 10: The Book Yourself Solid NetworkingStrategy
Networking, Ugh!
Making the Shift to the Book Yourself Solid Way
The Book Yourself Solid 50/50 Networking Rule
Have You Got Any Soul?
Share
Who
You Know,
What
You Know, and
How
You Feel
The Book Yourself Solid Network of 90
Networking Opportunities
Networking Events – What to Do
Networking Events – What Not to Do
Online Networking Through Social Media
So You've Got Spinach in Your Teeth
CHAPTER 11: The Book Yourself Solid Direct Outreach Strategy
Direct Outreach Gone Wrong
You Will Connect More When You've Got the Skinny
Direct Outreach Done Right
Only One Link in the Chain of Destiny Can Be Handled at a Time
Socially Successful Conduct
The Book Yourself Solid List of 20
Making Your Case
Patience and Persistence Pay Off
CHAPTER 12: The Book Yourself Solid Referral Strategy
Quick Referral Analysis
Finding Referral Opportunities
Beginning the Referral Process
Practice Your Referral Presentation
CHAPTER 13: The Book Yourself Solid Speaking Strategy
Self‐Promotion
Getting Promoted by Others
Booking Your Way Up
How to Find Your Audiences
Get Booked to Speak
Steal the Show
Fifty Public Speaking Performance Tips You Can't Afford to Ignore
Many Rules Are Made to Be Broken
To Speak or Not to Speak, That Is the Question
CHAPTER 14: The Book Yourself Solid Writing Strategy
How to Get Out of Writing
The Five‐Part Book Yourself Solid Writing Strategy
Help Editors Help You
Chapter 15: The Book Yourself Solid Web Strategy
PART 1: Designing Your Website
Purpose and Benefits of Having a Website
The Biggest Mistake Most Creative Service Providers Make Online
Essential Elements for an Effective Website
Maximizing Your Website's Potential
Choosing Your Platform
Hiring Help
PART 2: Getting Visitors to Your Website
Optimize Your Site
The Two Essential Principles of Visitor Conversion
PART 3: Building Your Social Media Platform
Optimizing Your Social Media Strategy with the Book Yourself Solid System
The 10, 30, 60 Rule
Capture, Edit, and Amplify
25 Creative Content Ideas to Overcome Posting Block
Social Media: Pulling It All Together
Getting the Most Out of Your Social Media Content
Final Thoughts
References
Ready to Be Fully Booked?
About the Authors
Index
End User License Agreement
Guide
Cover
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
Joana's Note
Preface
Acknowledgments
Begin Reading
Final Thoughts
References
Ready to Be Fully Booked?
About the Authors
Index
End User License Agreement
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Book Yourself Solid for CREATIVES
The Fastest, Easiest, Most Reliable System for Getting More Clients Than You Can Handle, Even if You Hate Marketing and Selling
Michael Port
New York Times Bestselling Author
withJoana Galvão
Copyright © 2025 by Michael Port. All rights reserved.
Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey.
Published simultaneously in Canada.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per‐copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc., 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, (978) 750‐8400, fax (978) 750‐4470, or on the web at www.copyright.com. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, (201) 748‐6011, fax (201) 748‐6008, or online at http://www.wiley.com/go/permission.
Trademarks: Wiley and the Wiley logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the United States and other countries and may not be used without written permission. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book.
Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: While the publisher and author have used their best efforts in preparing this book, they make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifically disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales representatives or written sales materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for your situation. You should consult with a professional where appropriate. Further, readers should be aware that websites listed in this work may have changed or disappeared between when this work was written and when it is read. Neither the publisher nor authors shall be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damages, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or other damages.
For general information on our other products and services or for technical support, please contact our Customer Care Department within the United States at (800) 762‐2974, outside the United States at (317) 572‐3993 or fax (317) 572‐4002.
Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content that appears in print may not be available in electronic formats. For more information about Wiley products, visit our web site at www.wiley.com.
Library of Congress Cataloging‐in‐Publication Data is Available:
ISBN: 9781394236275 (cloth)
ISBN: 9781394236282 (ePub)
ISBN: 9781394236299 (ePDF)
COVER DESIGN: WILEY
This book is a love story disguised as a business book. It's a love story between you and all the inspiring clients you will serve.
Joana's Note
You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking back.
—Steve Jobs
Early into my first job as a graphic designer for an award‐winning London‐based design agency, I found myself increasingly dissatisfied with my job and career prospects. The notion of a 9‐to‐5 job for the rest of my life felt like a prison – long hours, limited holidays, and a lack of creative freedom that stifled my passion and ambition. Sound familiar? I decided to embark on a new path and take the leap into freelancing, where I could fully express my creativity and build my career on my own terms. I secretly spent my hour‐long commute and lunch times reading, researching, studying, and honing my skills. That's where I came across the original Book Yourself Solid by Michael Port, first released in 2006 (Wiley).
In the original author's note, Michael shared the challenges he faced when starting his own business and how these difficulties propelled him to develop the Book Yourself Solid system, a comprehensive marketing and business system designed specifically for service professionals. Michael detailed how he meticulously researched, tested, and refined the system, transforming his own business in the process. He then went on to share this system with his clients, helping countless other service professionals attract more clients, increase their income, and build fulfilling careers. Inspired by his success and the proven effectiveness of the system, I thought, “If it worked for all those people, it could certainly work for me as long as I put in the effort.”
There was too much at stake for me, and failing wasn't an option. I was going against everyone's advice. My mum said, “You have no clue how to serve a client; quitting so early in your career is just silly.” My senior designer warned, “You have no clients. Going out on your own is career suicide.” Some of my peers added, “You need at least another decade if you're going to make it work.” But after reading all the reviews and researching the success of the book up to that day, I knew I was in good company. Armed with book in hand, I handed in my resignation letter and got to work.
The promise of the book was delivered. I not only fell in love with marketing and selling by turning it into a meaningful pursuit, but I quickly was booked solid with more clients than I could handle. Ten months into implementing the system, and at age 22, I had a six‐figure creative business that quickly turned into a 10‐person design agency.
When the book was released in April 2006, Book Yourself Solid was the number‐two best‐selling book on Amazon – not just in the business category but number two in all books. It has since become an evergreen resource for professional service providers all over the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada. It's been translated into Spanish, Vietnamese, Bulgarian, Polish, Bahasa Indonesian, Orthodox Chinese, Korean, and others. It's included in the curriculums at graduate‐level business schools and is touted as recommended reading by professional associations like the National Association of Realtors, which called Book Yourself Solid a “must read.”
Combining all the revised and complementary editions, Book Yourself Solid has sold more than a million copies. While Michael shared in the original note that he was surprised by the book's success, those who read it and implement the system aren't.
Later in my career, in 2021, I was considering launching a coaching business alongside my agency to help other creative service professionals grow their businesses. I discovered that I could get certified in teaching the Book Yourself Solid system. Having experienced firsthand the effectiveness of the system and being able to stand wholeheartedly behind it, it was a no‐brainer for me. I jumped at the chance.
Since getting certified, I have coached more than 200 students in more than 40 countries and led them through the Book Yourself Solid system. Similar to Michael's experience, I watched their success unfold before my eyes. I could hear confidence, pride, and accomplishment in their voices. Their businesses took off. My students, who were creative service providers of all kinds – graphic designers, illustrators, copywriters, photographers, video editors, web designers – started to get booked solid (well, most of them – the ones who did the work).
Every now and then, I'd email Michael about some of their success stories, sharing gratitude for making this available for certification so more of us could share the system and with it, help more service providers. But I wasn't expecting what came next.
In the spring of 2023, I received an email that had me dancing across my whole house with joy. Michael was inviting me to cowrite with him this very book you're holding in your hands: an updated version of the original Book Yourself Solid book but specific to creative service professionals like yourself.
Together, we want you to know it is realistic for you to become a successful creative service provider. But you need to learn the skills necessary to promote your work and become the go‐to creative in your area before it's too late. There is no question that the Book Yourself Solid system can change your business and your life.
You love what you do. You're great at what you do. You stand in the service of others, you change lives, and you are a remarkable human being for doing so – now it's time to get booked solid.
This book offers a way toward a profitable, meaningful, and absolutely booked‐solid creative business, overflowing with as many clients as your heart desires – clients who energize and inspire you, clients with whom you do your best work, clients who will pay you handsomely.
We hope you feel the same exhilaration in building your creative business as I did along with the thousands of other service professionals that have been supported and propelled by the Book Yourself Solid system every day. We expect that this system will not only inspire you but will keep you keenly focused on learning and relearning, experimenting, and honing all that is within you. We are certain the secret to your success isn't just in the work that we do together. It lies within you. Book Yourself Solid for Creatives will simply help facilitate your greatness.
We are all on this path together, learning from one another. We are all seeking joy, love, success, and happiness. Continue to trust that you are making a huge difference in the lives of your clients, yourself, and society as a whole.
Here's to you – to focusing on getting as many clients as your heart desires. Please come to the Book Yourself Solid system with an open heart and mind. Completely remove, or at least set aside, any preconceived ideas fluttering in your head. Let the process be revealed to you step‐by‐step.
The Book Yourself Solid way is one of abundance, joy, and meaning. It's our deep honor to serve you. As any silly, serious, significant, strategic, personal, or professional questions come up, please give me a shout. I'm always delighted to hear from you. Fire off any and all questions to me at [email protected]. If there is anything we can do to serve you, please just ask.
Warmly,
Joana Galvão
Preface
The Book Yourself Solid system is supported by both practical and philosophical principles.
From a practical perspective, there may be two simple reasons why you don't serve as many clients as you'd like to today. Either you don't know what to do to attract and secure more clients or you know what to do but you're not actually doing it. The Book Yourself Solid system is designed to help you solve both of these problems, including the information you need to book more clients. If you already know what to do but aren't doing it, we hope to inspire you into action and help you stay accountable so you build the business of your dreams. Moreover, you may be surprised to learn that marketing isn't really what gets you clients. It's what you do once someone becomes aware of you that books you the business. The Book Yourself Solid system is designed to show you how to create the awareness you need for the services you offer and then exactly what to do to book the business once someone becomes aware of you.
From a philosophical perspective, we believe that if you have something to say, if you have a message to deliver, and if there are people you want to serve, then there are people in this world whom you are meant to serve. Not kinda, sorta, because they're in your target market … but meant to. If this doesn't resonate for you now, we believe it will when you have read this book and begun to follow the Book Yourself Solid way.
The system is organized into four modules:
Your Foundation
Building Trust and Credibility
Simple Selling and Perfect Pricing
The Book Yourself Solid Six Core Self‐Promotion Strategies
We will begin by building a foundation for your creative business that is unshakable. If you are truly serious about becoming a successful creative service provider, you must have a steadfast foundation on which to stand. You will then be ready to create and implement a strategy for building trust and credibility. You'll be considered a credible expert in your field, and you'll start to earn the trust of the people you'd like to serve. You'll price your offerings in the sweet spot of the client's desires, and you'll know how to have sales conversations of the highest integrity that work. Then, and only then, will you execute the six core self‐promotion strategies, thereby creating awareness for the valuable services you offer by using promotional strategies that are based on your talents – strategies that feel authentic and honest.
To help you design a service business overflowing with clients who inspire and energize you, this book includes written exercises and Booked Solid Action Steps that will support you in thinking bigger about your business. We walk you through the steps on the path to serving as many clients as your heart desires.
You will want to retain your responses to the written exercises for regular review. We have prepared a complimentary downloadable workbook that includes all of the written exercises and Booked Solid Action Steps contained in this book. Simply visit the Book Yourself Solid website and download the workbook so that you may begin today to take the necessary steps to get more clients than you can handle.
Go to https://www.bookyourselfsolid.com/creativesworkbook and download your free copy of the workbook so you have it in your hands before you turn another page. So, your first Action Step is to get your workbook. While you'll no doubt get great value just from reading this book, the true value – and your success – lies in your decision to take an active role and to participate fully by doing the exercises and taking the Booked Solid Action Steps we've outlined.
Please work through Book Yourself Solid in sequential order. No skipping, jumping, or moving ahead – the Book Yourself Solid Six Core Self‐Promotion Strategies are effectively implemented only after your foundation, credibility‐building, pricing, and sales strategies are in place. One of the main reasons that creative service providers say they hate marketing and selling is that they're trying to market without these essential elements, which is like eating an egg before it's cooked – of course, you'll hate it. So, no matter how compelled you are to skip ahead, we urge you to please follow the system and watch the process unfold. Remember, self‐promotion just creates awareness for the products and services you sell. It's what you do once someone becomes aware of you that earns you the business. All the marketing in the world won't do you much good if you have a weak foundation (or none at all), can't demonstrate credibility, and don't know how to earn trust, price your offers, or have an effective sales conversation.
So many talented and inspired creative service providers like you run from marketing and sales because they have come to believe that the marketing and selling process is pushy and self‐centered and borders on sleazy. This old‐school paradigm is not the Book Yourself Solid way. It is the typical client‐snagging mentality. And you must never fall into this way of thinking and being. If you do, you'll operate in a mentality of scarcity and shame as opposed to one of abundance and integrity.
Ask yourself these questions:
How can I be fully self‐expressed in my work to create meaning for me and those whom I serve?
How can I work only in the areas of my greatest strengths and talents so that I can shine?
How many relationships with people of purpose did I make and deepen?
How can I better listen to and serve my ideal clients?
How can I wow people with substance?
How can I over‐deliver on my promises to my clients?
How can I cooperate with other professionals to create more abundance?
If you keep asking yourself these questions, set a solid foundation for your business, build trust and credibility within your marketplace, learn how to price and sell your offerings, and use the Six Core Self‐Promotion Strategies, you'll be booked solid in no time.
Acknowledgments
The first line of the acknowledgments section in virtually every book goes something like this: to list everyone we want to thank for their contributions to this book would be a book in itself. You really don't know how true that is until you write your own book. It seems like books are written by one person in solitary confinement in a cabin in the Berkshires or the French Alps. But rarely is that the case. This book is better because of the people around us. Family, friends, colleagues, and clients offer their ideas, relentlessly, at times. So, if you determine that what we've put on paper has merit, you can thank the people around us. They're the ones who deserve the credit. We just form the sentences.
Module ONEYour Foundation
Being booked solid as a creative service provider requires that you have a solid foundation. That foundation begins like this:
Choose your ideal clients so you work only with people who inspire and energize you.
Understand why people buy what you are selling.
Develop a personal brand to make you memorable and unique.
Talk about what you do without sounding confusing or bland.
Over the course of Module One, we'll step you through the process of building your foundation so that you have a platform on which to stand, a perfectly engineered structure that will support all of your business development and marketing, and – dare we add – personal growth. That's because being in business for yourself, especially as someone who stands in the service of others, requires constant personal reflection and growth.
Over the years, we've found that many people want to hurry through the foundation and just get to the marketing. Please resist this temptation. Remember, marketing rarely gets you clients. What you do once someone becomes aware of you is what actually books you the business. We're aware that we've said this three times now. We'll say it again later. It bears repeating. You need a solid foundation on which to stand first.
Building your foundation may seem like a lot of work. Maybe it is. That all depends on your definition of work, we suppose. But having a solid foundation that feels secure to your potential clients is the first key to business success.
Building your foundation is a bit like putting a puzzle together. We're going to take it one piece at a time, and when we're done, you'll have laid the foundation for booking yourself solid.
CHAPTER 1The Red VelvetRope Policy
He who trims himself to suit everyone will soon whittle himself away.
—Raymond Hull
Imagine that a friend has invited you to accompany her to an invitation‐only special event. You arrive and approach the door, surprised to find a red velvet rope stretched between two shiny brass poles. A nicely dressed man asks your name, checking his invitation list. Finding your name there, he flashes a wide grin and drops one end of the rope, allowing you to pass through and enter the party. You feel like a star.
Do you have your own Red Velvet Rope Policy that allows in only the most ideal clients, the ones who energize and inspire you? If you don't, you will shortly. Why?
First, because when you work with clients you love, you'll truly enjoy the work you're doing; you'll love every minute of it. (Well, almost every minute of it. It is work, after all.) And when you love the work you do, you'll do your best work, which is essential to booking yourself solid.
Second, because you are your clients. They are an expression and an extension of you. Do you remember when you were a teenager and your mother or father would give you a hard time about someone you were hanging out with? Your parents may have said that a particular kid was a bad influence. As a teen, you may have thought about how unfair that felt, but the truth is that you are the company you keep. The people you spend time with make a significant impact on your state of mind and how you feel about yourself. Let this be the imperative of your business: choose your clients as carefully as you choose your friends.
The first step in building your foundation is to choose your ideal clients – the individuals or businesses with whom you do your best work or the people or environments that energize and inspire you. We're going to help you identify specific characteristics of individuals or organizations that would make them ideal to work with. You will then develop a rigorous screening process to find more of them. We're also going to help you prune your current client list of less‐than‐ideal clients.
When Joana began her career as a freelance graphic designer, she found herself lucky. Most of the clients that came her way seemed to all fit the description of “ideal client.” That was until a particular sales call where the potential client raised a handful of red flags. In an attempt to scare the client away, Joana asked for double what she normally would for the project, and to her surprise, the client said yes.
As she dove into the project, she started to dread working on it, not because of the creative challenge itself but because of the client's behavior. This particular client didn't seem to value her creative input, would delay payments, and was overly critical of her work. They asked for more rounds of revisions than were included in the scope of the project, and they pushed back when asked to pay extra for it. The experience was nothing short of draining, with many days ending in Joana questioning her decision to freelance at all.
She no longer looked forward to jumping into her work alongside her morning coffee. The snooze button got hit more often, and she'd find herself procrastinating, dreading her inbox. Each “just one more tiny revision” felt like it could be the final push that sent her over the edge.
It didn't take long for Joana to quickly realize that even for double her rate, it wasn't worth it to work with nonideal clients, and she started to implement her own Red Velvet Rope Policy. It was a game changer, creating a positive ripple effect. She soon started to leap out of bed again, excited to dive into new projects. This excitement was palpable, and it helped deepen the relationship between her and her clients. In fact, she even started flying out to meet some of them face‐to‐face. This not only made her relationships with her clients stronger but created opportunities for her to be introduced to new ones, just as ideal.
Joana also discovered that when she worked only with ideal clients, her designs got even better. Feeling pumped and into her work meant she could give it her all, leading to doing her best work.
Live by the Red Velvet Rope Policy of ideal clients. Doing so will increase your productivity and happiness. Plus, it allows you to do your best work, which means your clients get the best results possible, which in turn leads to more clients and referrals than you can handle by yourself.
For maximum joy, prosperity, and abundance, think about the person you are when you are performing optimally, when you are with all the people who inspire and energize you. Now think about all of the frustration, tension, and anxiety you feel when you work with clients who are less than ideal – not so good, right?
Wouldn't it be great to spend every day working with clients who are ideal for you, clients whom you can hardly believe you get paid to work with? This ideal is completely possible once you identify who you want to work with and determine with certainty that you will settle for nothing less. Once you do that, it's just a matter of knowing which of your existing clients qualify and how to acquire more just like them.
1.1.1 Written Exercise: To begin to identify the types of clients you don't want, consider which characteristics or behaviors you refuse to tolerate. What turns you off or shuts you down? What kinds of people should not be getting past the red velvet rope that protects you and your business?
Dump the Duds
Let's take this a step further. It's time to dump your dud clients. We can just hear your shocked protestations and exclamations. “I thought this was a book about getting clients, not dumping them!” We're referring to the dud clients – not all of your clients. It sounds harsh, but think about it. Your dud clients are those you dread collaborating with. They sap your creativity, bore you to tears, or leave you endlessly frustrated with the project, even after giving it your all.
Most creatives choose their career out of passion for their craft. They choose this path to express their creativity and connect with others through their work. However, along the way, many of these talented individuals find themselves burned out and experiencing creative blocks regularly because of working with too many dud clients.
When Joana faced this problem with a retainer client who represented 30% of her agency's revenue, she was terrified at the thought of letting them go. She thought that if she got rid of them, her reputation would crumble and so in turn would her business. But guess what? Dumping this client brought about only positive outcomes, and the team thanked her for it.
There are likely many reasons you think you can't dump your dud clients, and we know this can seem really scary early on, but hang in there with. Embrace the concept and trust that this is sound advice from loving teachers and a necessary step on the path to booking yourself solid.
Why have clients, or anyone for that matter, in your life who zap your energy and leave you feeling empty? You might decide to dump five dud clients in one week, or you may decide to dump one per month over the next year. The Red Velvet Rope Policy may be provocative. It might not feel like an easy thing to do. It requires a leap of faith (faith in yourself ), but the emotional and financial rewards will be transformational. Within a few weeks of dumping your duds, you may add a dozen or more delightful clients. Sure, you'll increase your revenue if you add more ideal clients to your roster, but you'll also feel at peace and at ease as a business owner and creative. You'll enjoy your work more. Maybe not straightaway, but that Red Velvet Rope Policy? It's your ticket to a more positive workday. It'll keep the duds away and ensure you choose your ideal clients – people who inspire and energize you and, more important, allow you to do your best work.
Ask yourself: “Would I rather spend my days working with incredibly amazing, exciting, supercool, awesome people who are both clients and friends, or spend one more agonizing, excruciating minute working with barely tolerable clients who suck the life out of me?” Any initial discomfort or loss you may feel when dumping your duds will pay off in the long run.
Using the phrase “dump your dud clients,” suggests that there is something wrong with them. But that's not necessarily the case. Well, in some cases you may have a real nut job on your hands, but most of the time, they're just not right for you. A client who doesn't resonate with your style, for example, could be a dream for another creative who creates work in the style that client is after. Keep in mind that you don't need to create conflict and fire clients. You just need to stop signing on to their projects. You can be tactful, diplomatic, and loving. You can even attempt, when appropriate, to refer them to a colleague who might be a better fit. Whenever possible, keep it simple. Try, “I'm not the best person to serve you.” Or “I don't think we'd be a good fit.”
Are you always going to get a positive response when dumping your dud clients? Maybe not. If the first thing that comes to mind is “I don't want anyone out there thinking badly of me,” we're with you. We love helping people, and we want people to think well of us. But living life fully can require difficult conversations, and you can't please everyone. To even try is an exercise in futility, as the following Aesop fable demonstrates.
The Old Man, the Little Boy, and the Donkey
An old man, a little boy, and a donkey were going to town. The little boy rode on the donkey, and the old man walked beside him. As they went along, they passed some people who remarked it was a shame the old man was walking and the little boy was riding. The man and boy thought maybe the critics were right, so they changed positions.
Later, they passed some people who remarked, “What a shame! He makes that little boy walk.” They then decided they both would walk.
Soon they passed some more people who thought they were stupid to walk when they had a decent donkey to ride. So they both rode the donkey. Later, they passed some people who shamed them by saying how awful to put such a load on a poor donkey. The boy and man said they were probably right, so they decided to carry the donkey. As they crossed the bridge, they lost their grip on the animal. He fell into the river and drowned.
The moral of the story? If you try to please everyone, you might as well kiss your ass goodbye.
When considering who you want to work with, look for qualities in a person who you resonate with, so you don't limit yourself to just thinking about the clients you don't yet have. Your Red Velvet Rope Policy is a filtration system that lets in ideal clients. However, you can choose to loosen or tighten the rope at will. We're not (necessarily) asking you to turn away your very first clients. We understand what you're up against. When you start your business, if you feel that you'd like to keep your red velvet rope a little looser so you can work with more clients, go right ahead.
For example, a recent graduate who is just venturing into freelancing for the first time should have some non‐negotiable traits built into their Red Velvet Rope Policy, but it could make sense for them to keep their red velvet rope closer to the ground so they can build a client roster and, critically, generate the revenue necessary to ensure the revenue they need.
Just make sure you know what is ideal and what isn't ideal about the people you're letting into the VIP room. As you become booked solid, you'll tighten your red velvet rope and become even more exclusive so as to work only with those who energize and inspire you and – most important – allow you to do your best work.
1.1.2 Written Exercise: Now take a good, hard look at your current clients. Be absolutely honest with yourself. Who among your current clients fits the profile you've just created of people who should not have gotten past the red velvet rope that protects you and your business?
1.1.3 Booked Solid Action Step: Dump the dud clients you've just listed in the preceding exercise. It may be just one client, or you may need another two pages to write them all down. Is your heart pounding? Is your stomach churning at just the thought? Have you broken out in a cold sweat? Or are you jumping up and down with excitement now that you've been given permission to dump your duds? Maybe you're experiencing both sensations at the same time; that's totally normal. Do it and you'll feel better.
Taking a Booked Solid Action Step is a bold action and requires courage. And courage is not about being fearless – it's about owning your fear and using it to move you forward, to give you strength. There is no more rewarding feeling than the pride you'll feel once you've moved past the fear to do what you set out to do. Maybe you'll find it easier to take it one step at a time. Start by dismissing just one of those dud clients. The feeling of empowerment you'll have once you've done it will motivate you to continue pruning your list of clients until the duds have all been removed.
What to Do When You Don't (Yet) Have Clients
But Michael and Joana, what if I just started my business and don't yet have clients, let alone dud clients? Ah, yes, excellent point. Consider yourself lucky. You'll never have to worry about dud clients because you'll put your Red Velvet Rope Policy in place on day one.
In just a moment, you'll begin to create your Red Velvet Rope Policy. If you're starting a new business and don't yet have many, or any, clients to speak of at this point, as you're working through the exercises, think about current or former co‐workers, friends, or even service providers that you've hired in the past. To create your future Red Velvet Rope Policy, you'll be able to draw on your past experiences – who inspired you and who made you want to do them bodily harm. Refrain. Rewind. Remember: love and kindness. Love and kindness.
Pruning Your Client List
If you're struggling with the idea of pruning your client list, keep in mind that it's for your client's benefit as much as it is for yours. If you're feeling empty and drained, or frustrated and dreading the interaction with the client, then you're giving that client far less than your best, and it's both of you who are suffering for it. You owe it to these clients to refer them to someone who can, and will, do their best work with them. If you are working with people with whom you do not do your best work, you are out of integrity. And as we discussed earlier, you are your clients. When your clients go out into the world and speak of you to others, they are representing you.
With whom do you want to be associated – the duds or the ideal clients? It's also the ideal clients, those who are wildly happy with you and your services, who are most likely to go out and talk about you to others, to refer other clients like themselves, more ideal clients. The fewer duds you allow to hang around, the more ideal clients you have room for, the more referrals you'll get, and so on.
Clients are like family, so we know this can be hard and can cause a period of intense and painful negative energy worrying about those challenging client relationships. It's exhausting and takes away from providing the best creative services for your clients. It is impossible to be your most effective, most attentive, and most precise self when working with less than ideal clients.
Joana's agency had been working with a client for more than three years – let's call her Sophie. Wanting to serve Sophie as best as she could, over time, Joana started to expand her offerings beyond her agency's usual capabilities, handling everything from brand identity design to web design and development to editorial design and social media graphics. However, the quick turnaround needed for the latter began to stress the team. This, coupled with the reduced creativity social media design required for this brand, started making the work feel monotonous. The team started to dread working on Sophie's account, and Joana started to find it harder to keep them motivated.
It wasn't that Sophie was demanding or difficult; it was just that this particular task didn't align with the team's passion or expertise. Moreover, the process for quick turnaround social media graphics was so distinct from their other projects that it disrupted their day‐to‐day operations, making everything feel more challenging than it should.
Recognizing this mismatch, Joana decided to do something about it. She approached Sophie, explaining that while they cherished handling her branding and web needs, both areas for which Joana's agency was known, they believed she would benefit from someone with a keen passion for social media design to take over that role.
To ensure Sophie was well taken care of, Joana introduced her to a freelancer starting out, who she knew and trusted, proficient in social media design and already an admirer of Sophie's brand. This move was a win‐win. Sophie gained an expert who was enthusiastic about her social media needs and at a more budget‐friendly rate. Meanwhile, Joana's team was free to channel their energy back into their true strengths: branding and web design.
The decision not only re‐energized Joana's team but also ensured that Sophie received phenomenal service in every domain. It was a clear demonstration of the benefits of aligning client relationships with one's strengths and passions.
Imagine if Joana hadn't taken this action. From experience, this is how we know the story would have played out instead: Joana and her team would have grown increasingly resentful of the work they were doing and therefore of the client. They would have started to diminish the quality of their service or, even worse, find themselves snapping back at yet another urgent social media request. This would have in turn led to a poor experience for the client and eventually a termination of the contract. Not to mention, it would have ended all the referrals this client had been sending Joana their way.
This is what can happen when you work with clients who are not ideal for you. At some point, you're going to create a conflict, whether intentionally or not, because you're going to be frustrated with those clients. Those clients will think you're not providing them with good service – and they'll be right. It doesn't serve you or the client when you stay in a less than ideal situation. If you do, you'll have former clients going out into the world telling anyone who will listen that you're the worst person to work with. And while navigating nonideal client relationships can be challenging, remember that parting ways, or redefining the project parameters, doesn't have to be painful. Done with care and integrity it can result in a win‐win experience for all parties involved, setting the stage for more ideal clients to come your way.
Creating Your Red Velvet Rope Policy
The benefits of working with ideal clients are many and meaningful:
You'll get to do your best work.
You'll feel invigorated and inspired.
You'll connect with clients on a deeper level.
You'll feel successful and confident.
You'll know your work matters and is changing lives.
You'll feel fully self‐expressed.
Joana knows her ideal client's traits so well she even created a framework for them:
Here's her DREAM client framework:
D
ecisive (can make decisions in a timely manner)
R
espectful (of Joana's time, her team's time, and their process)
E
ngaged (communicative and responsive throughout the project, giving honest feedback in a timely and constructive manner to help move the project forward)
A
daptable (open to new ideas out of their comfort zone and new tools to facilitate the process)
M
otivated (committed to the vision of their company and the end goal of the project)
Your list might look completely different.
Take heed: how much money a client has or doesn't have is not what this is about. Your Red Velvet Rope Policy considers what kind of person you're dealing with, not how much this person has or doesn't have. People with fat wallets are often the primary consideration for many creatives who wind up working with clients who are less than ideal. Notice that my list considers the qualities of my ideal clients first – who they are rather than what they have or the circumstances they're in.
1.1.4 Written Exercise: Define your ideal client. What type of people do you love being around? What do they like to do? What do they talk about? With whom do they associate? What ethical standards do they follow? How do they learn? How do they contribute to society? Are they smiling, outgoing, or creative? What kind of environment do you want to create in your life? And who will get past the Red Velvet Rope Policy that protects you? List the qualities, values, or personal characteristics you'd like your ideal clients to possess.
1.1.5 Written Exercise: Now let's look at your current client base. Who do you love interacting with the most? Who do you look forward to seeing? Who are the clients who don't feel like work to you? Who is it you sometimes just can't believe you get paid to work with? Write down the names of clients, or people you've worked with, who you love to be around.
1.1.6 Written Exercise: Get a clear picture of these people in your head. Write down the top five reasons you love working with them. What about working with them turns you on?
1.1.7 Written Exercise: Now go deeper. If you were working only with ideal clients, what qualities would they absolutely need to possess for you to do your best work with them? Be honest and don't worry about excluding people. Be selfish. Think about yourself. For this exercise, assume you will work only with the best of the best. Be brave and bold and write without thinking or filtering your thoughts.
How different were the last two lists? You may have nailed it the first time. Maybe you're right on track, or maybe you have some perfect client opportunities to uncover.
By knowing who your ideal clients are and selecting only those who have at least 75% of the qualities you identified, you will have more fun, accomplish greater results, and experience incredible joy and fulfillment in your business.
This is beneficial because you'll be able to identify other ideal clients you'd love to work with. People enjoy knowing how important they are to you, and if they know you do your best work with, and for, people like them, they are much more inclined to work with you. It raises the stakes for them.
Look at these requirements and think about how you can start to turn them into filters. Joana takes this as seriously as she takes preparing formula for her baby's bottles. Just as she won't compromise on the quality of the water to ensure her baby's well‐being by filtering and boiling it, she is equally conscious when it comes to accepting projects for her agency. Just as contaminated water could be harmful for her newborn, the wrong client can disrupt the well‐being of her team. Just like every mother will only give the best to her child, Joana is careful about only bringing in the best‐fit clients and projects so that she and the team can perform at optimal level, enjoy collaborations, and produce their best work.
Joana's client filters include these:
She feels more energized and excited after working with her clients.
Her clients seek out her and her team's expertise and trust in their creative guidance.
Her clients are committed to the project and honor their part of the contract such as giving feedback in a timely manner.
Her clients get along well with her team.
Her clients are naturally optimistic and do not complain (much).
1.1.8 Written Exercise: What filters do you want to run your perfect clients through?
Ideal Clients, the Duds, and Everyone Else
As you eliminate the duds, you'll open up room for ideal clients. As you use the Book Yourself Solid system to attract more and more ideal clients, you'll discover that you're happier, more vibrant, more energetic, and more productive. You'll be on fire. You'll be giving your clients the best of yourself and your services, and you'll love every minute of it.
1.1.9 Written Exercise: Draw a simple table with three columns. Label the first column “Ideal Clients,” the second “Duds,” and the third “Everyone Else.” Now divide your clients into these three groups. Don't hold back or leave anyone out.
As if that weren't enough, you may begin to notice that many of your midrange clients, those who made neither the ideal client nor the dud list, are undergoing a transformation. Why? While you were working with dud clients, you weren't performing at your best. If you think that that wasn't affecting your other clients, think again. The renewed energy and the more positive environment you'll create as a result of letting go of the duds will most likely rejuvenate the relationships between you and some of your midrange clients, turning many of them into ideal clients.
1.1.10 Written Exercise: Brainstorm your own ideas for reigniting these midrange clients. Contemplate the ways in which you may, even inadvertently, have contributed to some of your clients being less than ideal clients. Are there ways in which you can light a new fire or elicit greater passion for the work you do together? Do you need to set and manage expectations more clearly right from the beginning? Can you enrich the dynamics between you by challenging or inspiring your clients in new ways? Go ahead – turn off your left‐brain logical mind for a moment and let your right‐brain creativity go wild.
Carefully observe the ways in which your relationships with your clients begin to shift as you embrace the Book Yourself Solid way. Some of your midrange clients may fall away. Others may step up their game and slide into the ideal client category.
When you're fully self‐expressed, fully demonstrating your values and your views, you'll naturally attract and draw to yourself those you're best suited to work with, and you'll push away those you're not meant to work with.
A Perpetual Process
The process we've just worked through is one that you must do on a regular basis. Pruning your client list is a perpetual process because all relationships naturally cycle. The positive and dynamic relationships you have now with your ideal clients may at some point reach a plateau, and the time may come to go your separate ways. You'll get more comfortable with the process over time. It's one that has so many rewards that it's well worth the effort.
Let author Tom Peters sum it up for us: “This is your life. You are your clients. It is fair, sensible, and imperative to make these judgments. To dodge doing so shows a lack of integrity.”
We'll go one step further and say that doing so is one of the best and smartest business and life decisions you can make. It's crucial to your success and your happiness. Prune regularly, and before you know it, you'll be booked solid with clients you love working with.
CHAPTER 2Why People Buy What You're Selling
Before everything else, getting ready is the secret of success.
—Henry Ford
The next few steps we take down the Book Yourself Solid path will feel either like you're skipping over stepping stones or like you're taking giant leaps of faith. Either way, these few steps will be well worth the time spent. Stay by our side as we walk and work together on getting you booked solid.
Taking the following four steps will help you keenly understand why people buy what you're selling, an essential component in creating demand for your services:
Step 1: Identify your target market.
Step 2: Understand the urgent needs and compelling desires of your target market.
