ExceedSales

“Just this once” has a funny way of becoming “this is just how we do it.”

For service professionals, exceptions can feel harmless in the moment.

A client asks for one extra thing.
You squeeze it in.
You don’t charge for it.
You tell yourself it will only take 15 minutes.

Then another request comes in.

And another. Before long, the scope you sold and the service you’re delivering are two very different things.

That creates headaches everywhere. The business starts absorbing work it never priced for.

The client experience becomes inconsistent because one client gets something another client doesn’t. The team starts asking, “Are we supposed to do this for everyone now?”

And eventually, resentment starts building because people are doing more work without more time, more capacity, or more compensation.

One of the lessons Hector and I have learned over the years is that exceptions create expectations.

And expectations eventually become obligations if you don’t reset them.

Name it.
Document it.
Price it when appropriate.
And make sure your team knows the rule.

Because scope creep rarely arrives looking like a major business problem.

It usually sounds like:

“Can you just…?”

And that’s exactly where the headache starts. What exceptions are you currently allowing that you shouldn't?

Good credit is built over time, and a few habits can make a big difference when you eventually need access to capital.

Here are 4 credit habits I want business owners to pay attention to:

1️⃣ **Build credit history**
Keep accounts open and let them age. Opening too many new accounts can lower the average age of your credit history.

2️⃣ **Be selective when applying for credit**
Too many hard inquiries in a short period can work against you. Apply with intention instead of opening accounts everywhere just because they’re offered.

3️⃣ **Keep credit card utilization low**
A good target is staying below 30% of your available revolving credit. High balances can make you look more dependent on credit and potentially increase the risk a lender sees.

4️⃣ **Show that you can manage different types of credit**
Experience managing revolving credit and installment debt can help demonstrate that you know how to borrow responsibly and repay what you owe.

Why does this matter?

Because when you’re ready to buy owner-occupied real estate, finance equipment, secure a business line of credit, or take out a term loan, the strength of your credit profile can affect your options, loan amounts, and terms.

The best time to prepare for financing is usually **before you need the money**.

Build the habits now so you have more options later.

Save this one and share it with a business owner who needs to hear it.

In the recent webinar I held with Nick Boscia, CPA, Nick Boscia EA I talked about the importance of having hard conversations with clients.

We’re in the position to not just provide data, but to also help clients become more disciplined with their actions. I’m talking about guiding clients to make hard decisions, make certain sacrifices, set boundaries with their vendors and clients and employees.

For example:

If you’re a business leader and let your employees ask for PTO during your busiest season when you need All Hands on Deck, you will clearly stay stressed and resentful. Create a PTO blackout policy during said time, period.

If you have clients on 90+ days Accounts Receivable and they are using your business like their own business LOC, and your cash flow is suffering. Pause all the work until you get paid. Period.

If you buy materials before the client has any money in the job, you are their bank and their crew. Collect 40% before anything gets ordered, on every job, including the referral from your cousin.

If your costs went up every year and your prices did not, you have been quietly funding your customers’ margins. Set an annual increase date and put it in writing to everyone.

These are the tough conversations we as advisors need to have. The more comfortable we can get with these, the more VALUABLE you become to your clients, and the more they will see you as their TRANSFORMATIVE GUIDE.

But if you keep doing what you’re doing, you’ll keep getting what you’re getting.

Monday Rant time. Just got off observing a client conversation where the person I was coaching was having a pricing discussion. They immediately communicated the price and, all of a sudden, did not allow any space for the client to process that. The sales professional started panicking, jumping in, defending, justifying, and even confusing the buyer even more by talking about being able to reduce their price as well. Ultimately, the confused buyer just finished the call by saying, "Let me think about it," and the deal ended up not closing.

I see this mistake happen all the time, especially around professional service providers and sales professionals, where they don't allow space for the buyer to decide. The pause helps the buyer process and arrive at seeing if the answer is yes, maybe or no, and then ultimately move the conversation towards an answer that's mutually beneficial for both parties. When the sales professional is nervous and doesn't provide that space for the buyer to decide, then it derails the opportunity to convert.

Follow these steps that I share in this video. Let me know how it works for you.