162. How to deal with people who “waste your time”
We all have folks that slide in our DMs asking 1000 questions or people that book a clarity call and then turn it into a “pick my brain session.” Neither purchases our offers and we feel like… our time has been wasted.
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We have all had that person who asks a million questions via dm, but never seems to make an investment (even in our low ticket offers).
They seem to not even really be paying attention to our free content because they ask questions that we literally JUST talked about.
Then there are folks who hop on a call just to low-key pick our brains.
People who inquire about our services, ask us to hold a spot for them, or tell us they will work with us and then…crickets.
Simply put, there will be folks that waste your time and it’s your job not to allow that.
Read on to find out my seven tips for maintaining your boundaries, guarding your time, and protecting yourself from the people who waste your time.
1. Check your response time.
Slow down your response time. Do not immediately respond when someone sends you a DM – especially if it is about your free content or if they have messaged you frequently in the past.
2. Utilize your existing content.
When someone messages you asking about something you have covered before, send them to your existing content.
There’s no shame in sending a link instead of personally responding every time.
3. Make your offers clear.
Be sure that your offers and pricing are clearly stated on your website, sales page, or landing page.
A lot of times people want to know how much of an investment your services are before they move forward, so make it easy on them to decide if they can afford you.
By clearly stating your prices and offers you are eliminating a lot of the back-and-forth messaging that happens when people just want to know your prices.
4. Two question rule.
This is one of my favorites.
Each person gets two free questions from me, but then they get a pitch.
5. Shift your calls to something different.
Getting on tons of discovery calls or clarity calls can be exhausting.
I recommend shifting from discovery or clarity calls to consultations.
This eliminates any calls from people who aren’t serious about working with me.
6. Don’t focus on each interaction or person as a sale.
Don’t make the mistake of looking at each person as a sale…UNTIL the sale comes through.
No money is guaranteed until it hits your bank account!
7. Set your boundaries.
Set the boundary and energy up front that people don’t waste your time.
Ask specific questions, send the link only, address questions publicly, and tag them.
So…
As a business owner, it’s your job to make sure people know your boundaries and that you don’t tolerate people wasting your time.
Apply for the BecomingCEO Method if you want support from other CEOs as you work on creating your boundaries and your business!
IN THIS EPISODE, WE COVER:
- My 7 tips for navigating people who waste your time as a business owner.
LINKS AND RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
- The BecomingCEO Method
- Check out my last episode on How Long Does it Take Your Marketing Plan to Work?
- Follow me on Instagram: @mrskayhillman
- Follow the podcast on Instagram: @becomingceo
MORE ABOUT THE BECOMINGCEO PODCAST:
Podcast for Female Entrepreneurs and Christian Entrepreneurs to help you improve your marketing and social media strategy so you can make more money.
Every week your host Kay Hillman is going to share tips and tricks about social media marketing, mindset, and sales strategy. You’ll learn how to start, grow, and scale a service based or coaching business – God’s way.
From how to create a solid foundation for starting your business to how to strategically plan the next 6-months of marketing for your business – we will cover all things marketing, attracting more clients, converting sales, and more.
Sis,it’s time for you to up-level your mindset, marketing, and sales.
In this space we show up as our authentic selves – that means embrace being part of a community where we are low-key ratchet and high key saved – OKAY!!!