I was chatting to a friend about her business, which has been struggling recently. She talked about the possible loss of a key client and the unhealthy anxiety between them. Conversations had drifted away from the customer’s delight in her world-class, professional service to the frustrations of her pushing for a sale and the need to secure payment. The relationship was in danger of becoming a resentful business transaction, not the valued, transformative service that it had been.  

When we become stressed about a client and the money they represent, it can damage the trust between us. We risk the client feeling pressurised and uncomfortable because we keep chasing them harder and harder. The way to change this is to let go of that line of thinking and focus on growth. We need to build a pipeline of new relationships and new clients.   

As any salesperson knows – the best way to sell is to know that there are another ten prospects lined up on your list! So, if you find yourself stressing about that one client, force yourself to refresh your self-belief, polish your vision and create an action plan to attract new clients and new opportunities.  

It’s the same for South Africa. To build a better future and attract investment, we need to talk confidently and positively about the country and its future. (Adrian Gore of Discovery has written an article that says this well).  

This week, don’t fall into the anxiety trap of ‘my only client is stressing me out,’ but go hard on building your positive self-talk and growing a pipeline of new ones. Success sells! People want to be where others go – where confidence, growth and opportunity are in abundance.