Or you're like the popular night club in town, with a 6 foot 8, 400 pound bouncer at the door - clipboard in his hands, checking carefully to see who can come in and who can't. 

 

Not many coaches think of their businesses this way (full disclosure: I didn't in the beginning either). 

 

I used to accept almost any client - if he/she had a pulse, or could fog a mirror, I welcomed them in.  

 

Even if they seemed like a bad fit, I would tell myself that I was good enough that I could make it work.

 

I got burned enough times that I finally got fed up and wrote out my criteria for my ideal client (in my opinion, that exercise is one of the best ways a coach could spend one hour). 

 

Here's what I came up with for my ideal client: 

 

1) Is an action-taker 
2) Wants to make a big impact 
3) Is coachable and respects boundaries 
4) Is fun to work with 
5) Pays me on time and what I'm worth 

 

When I first compiled this list, I went through the clients that I was working with at that time and immediately dropped a few that didn't fit. I thought it would be hard to do that, but I felt immediate relief. 

 

If you don't have your criteria yet, take some time to get it down on paper.  And judge every potential client that you talk with going forward against that list. 

 

Your list could (and probably will) be different than mine, but it's YOUR business, and your criteria. 

 

If you sound like the person that I described for my criteria, we'd work well together ... 

 

I'm opening up a handful of spots for new 1:1 laser coaching clients, and it means that we can work together for just $83/month. 

 

I'm shutting it down on Wednesday night, more details here: 

 

 

Marc Mawhinney