One of the biggest mistakes entrepreneurs, small businesses, and salespeople make is that they don’t actually choose their customers.
They simply work with whoever comes along, sell to anyone who contacts them, and serve only the people who happen to show up.
Instead of actively deciding who they want to work with, defining their target audience, and directingtheir marketing toward those people, most businesses remain passive.
The result is predictable: they end up serving “not-so-ideal” customers – those who drain their energy, cost them money, frustrate their team, and are often irrelevant or unripe.
For more than two decades, I’ve been preaching the opposite approach: don’t let customers choose you – you choose them.
Work only with the clients who are right for you, and fire those who are not.
Yes, I said fire them.
The Cost of Bad Customers
A bad customer doesn’t just consume time and money; they can sap your energy, drain your optimism, and make you question whether you even want to stay in your field.
Worst of all, bad customers often bring their friends – who, unsurprisingly, tend to be just as bad.
So how do you know who’s good for your business and who isn’t? I use two simple filters: the “fun test” and the “money test.”
The Fun Test
Work should bring you some joy. If you dread hearing from a customer, that’s a sign.
The fun test – also known as the telephone test – asks one simple question: what do you feel when a certain customer’s name pops up on your phone?
If your first reaction is happiness, interest, or curiosity, that’s a good customer.
But if your stomach drops, if you roll your eyes and think “Not them again…” then that’s a bad customer.
It really is that simple.
The Money Test
The Pareto Law, or the 80/20 rule, tells us that 20 percent of customers usually generate 80 percent of our revenue, while a different 20 percent consume 80 percent of our time and energy.
The “good” customers are usually the ones who pay on time, appreciate your service, and even refer others.
The “bad” ones are the ones who haggle endlessly, delay payment, argue with your expertise, and drain your patience.
And here’s the harsh truth: most businesses spend more time chasing after bad customers than appreciating the good ones.
We hunt down late payments, soothe angry complainers, and negotiate endlessly with cynics – while the loyal clients who pay on time and smile with gratitude are taken for granted.
Firing Customers
So what do you do with those bad customers?
Fire them.
Even if they want to keep buying.
Even if they insist on paying.
Even if they beg for your time.
Keeping them around will cost you more in the long run.
There are two clean ways to do this.
The first is to change the conditions. If you’ve allowed a customer to call you at all hours, stop.
Set clear boundaries and stick to them.
If you’re working with a company that delays payments for months, update your terms.
Some will adapt, but most will quit on their own.
The second way is to raise prices dramatically. I don’t mean by ten or twenty percent – I mean triple or quadruple your fees.
Most bad customers will walk away, and if they don’t, at least the higher compensation will make their demands more bearable.
Ironically, when they complain about how expensive you’ve become, they may even create free marketing for you.
The Bottom Line
To succeed in business and in life, you must protect your time, energy, and optimism.
That means focusing on good customers – the ones who value your work and contribute to your growth – and letting go of the bad ones who drain you.
Not every customer deserves a place in your business.
Choose wisely.
With love, Dr. Yaniv Zaid – “Doctor Persuasion” Want more insights like this? Stay connected and learn how to take your business and persuasion skills to the next level Click HERE for “Doctor Persuasion’s” community 📩 Share your thoughts or questions with us—we’d love to hear from you!
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