FreeAdviceWhether you're a lawyer, accountant, naturopath or financial planner, there are five types of clients to be wary of.

Anna Pino, who trained as a psychologist and is CEO of Lighthouse Business Innovation Centre, a virtual accelerator working with entrepreneurs, inventors and researchers says that for advisor type businesses not all clients are created equal.

"Some people are just not ready or suited to advisor-client relationships," said Ms Pino.

The first type of client to be wary of is the Blamer. This client never accepts responsibility for anything. Your first clue is usually at the initial meeting when they describe their reason for seeing you – their problems are normally someone else's fault and there's nothing that they have done to contribute to the situation they find themselves in.

What makes this person hard to deal with is that in order for any positive change to take place it's important for them to acknowledge their role in creating the problem. After all, how does a financial planner get someone to stick to a budget when they won't own up to the Porsche in the driveway?

Another client to be wary of is the Denier. This client has a hard time facing reality and being objective about their situation. They spend a lot of time rationalising and justifying rather than looking at the facts.

The Defensive client is the one that resists any form of change. You'll recognise them when you hear them say "but this is how we've always done it". This client is a particular problem for those advisors whose job it is to come up with innovative and new ideas.

Most advisors will recognise the 'My way or the highway' client. They've come to you for advice because they're not an expert in the field, yet insist on doing it their way despite all advice to the contrary. This client is a bit of a bully and is really relying on your need for their business. Sometimes it's best to walk away from this client, especially when your professional reputation is at risk.

The Insecure client is often a problem after the job has been completed. This client will take credit for your successes and hand over the blame for anything that went wrong. They need to inflate their position and deflate others to make themselves look good. They become a reputation risk and your worst case scenario is landing a client like this who likes to complain loudly on social media.

According to Ms Pino, the clients that get the most from an advisor-client relationship are the ones that are open to learning and feedback, are prepared to face the facts and are receptive to change.

She believes that having a clear idea of your ideal client is very important and this should be reflected in your marketing messages and client retention strategy. Having a good idea of the strengths and weaknesses of your business is also important and according to Ms Pino online diagnostic tools like BizLab provide valuable feedback.

 

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About Lighthouse Business Innovation Centre
Lighthouse has a strong track record of supporting entrepreneurs, researchers and inventers on the path from concept to commercialisation. Since July 2008, Lighthouse has worked with over 990 distinct enterprises and provided group and peer based services to over 3400 enterprises and individuals. For over five years Lighthouse has successfully delivered business advice, education, mentorship and networking opportunities to help these businesses commercialise their ideas and grow their companies. Lighthouse also delivers programs such as the ACT Microcredit Program for the ACT Government. Visit www.lighthouseinnovation.com.au for more information.

Photo: "Free Advice" by Solo, with others