Find yourself constantly bending over backwards to please your high-ticket clients, meeting every extra request, and feeling like your energy and sanity are slipping away as you spin in people-pleasing mode?
In this economy, a girl has to do all she can to keep a competitive edge which is why you’re so committed to providing exceptional customer service. Yet, the more you attempt to tailor everything, meet every demand and please every client, the more mistakes you make and the more you start to spin out.
Next thing you know, you’re constantly stuck in “catch up” mode because you’re spending so much time apologizing and creating bonuses and extra work for yourself. If that goes on too long, you wind up with a full-blown case of burnout.
The desire to keep clients happy can easily blur the line between providing excellent customer service and sacrificing your well-being. If you’ve been reading this blog for a while you’ve heard me say about a thousand times that protecting your creativity is your chief job and the more you people-please, the more you’re failing at your biggest responsibility.
But here’s the thing…
You absolutely have the power to break free from this nasty ass behavioral cycle that is robbing you of your greatest joy and your clients of your best work. So if you’re ready to reclaim your power and transform all of that people-pleasing energy into genuine customer service that benefits you both.
If you’re tired of feeling like a doormat or a servant to your high-ticket clients and you thought that you just had to take it because of what they pay you…this is a post you need to read more than once.
The Difference Between People-Pleasing and Genuine Customer Service
If you are anything like most of the women that are stuck in this cycle, odds are you have no idea that your behavior is anything other than your genuine desire to be nice and helpful. When it reality, you’re acting out of fear more than kindness and it is controlling your life.
People-Pleasing: Driven by a fear of rejection and an overwhelming desire to be liked, people-pleasing often leads to over-commitment, undervaluation, and ultimately, burnout. You find yourself saying “yes” to everything, sacrificing your creativity and mental health just to keep clients happy.
Genuine Customer Service: Rooted in a professional commitment to deliver value and build trust, genuine customer service ensures both you and your clients benefit. It’s about creating a balance where your needs and boundaries are respected, leading to sustainable, high-quality work.
To gain a deeper understanding of these differences, I’ve created a series of examples for a few different niches:
Set Boundaries & Expectations From The Start
Over the years I have listened to many service providers complain that clients had been violating their boundaries. However, when pressed further it was discovered that they had never set expectations clearly from the beginning.
A client cannot possibly violate boundaries unless you set those expectations upfront. They can’t intentionally cross lines they don’t know exist.
To start, you’re going to want clear boundaries around things like working hours, access to you via phone, the scope of your services, your response times, etc.
How I Used Digital Products To Elevate My Customer Service Without Working Harder
As my content marketing company grew and I took on larger and larger projects like entire membership websites and global ecommerce websites I knew I needed a more efficient customer service strategy.
That’s when it dawned on me that I could take the templates I had created for myself and provide them to clients as a value add. When that worked well, I realized that the sky was the limit to how I could leverage digital products to nurture my client relationships passively. The clients felt spoiled, I had more freedom, and I was able to sell those gifts on the open market to non-clients for additional profit. That money only allows me to cherry-pick projects and protect my boundaries and my creativity even more.
Addressing The Core Of The People-Pleasing Problem
I can give you scripts and mindset swaps all day but until you get to the core that is driving your people-pleasing behavior, you won’t truly heal and this energy will manifest itself somewhere else in your life. To get to the real reason you feel compelled to people-please and learn to overcome the behavioral pattern that it took you years to develop, I love using this workbook: From People Pleaser to Powerhouse. It was written and designed to help you step fully into your power so your life and business are no longer controlled by your fears but rather your beautiful dreams.