Be Exceptional: Are You Easy To Work With?
In 2023, Ashley Graham was conducting interviews before the 95th Oscars ceremony when Hugh Grant walked onto the red carpet. He’s known for being one of the most difficult people to work with in Hollywood. He's said to be moody and grumpy, and even Liz Hurley has said that her friends called him ‘Grumplestiltskin’.
When Ashley interviewed Hugh, that reputation proved true. He was incredibly rude, giving short, abrupt answers to all of her questions. When the interview was over, even he pulled a face as he walked away.
The Independent documented some of the public’s responses on Twitter (now X). User @TerryMac_ asked, ‘Was that Hugh Grant interview the most uncomfortable thing ever?!?’ User @Kirsten53708048 said, ‘Don’t do the interview if you clearly don’t want to be interviewed.’
Hugh was definitely not being easy to work with. As an advisor or a consultant, are you?
Are you easy to work with?
One of the biggest challenges when growing your practice can be navigating the things that bring growth. For example, working with the people you want to work with, while also managing your boundaries and reputation. Or pricing your services well, while avoiding getting walked over and taken for granted.
You may feel like you're always on a slippery slope, trying to balance your drive for success with being easy to work with.
But in my experience the best advisors are those who are easy to work with.
Don't get me wrong, it's not about being too nice or a pushover. It's about how everything flows. When you’re easy to work with, there are no hiccups. There’s no friction. There’s no drama. Everything is easy.
It’s like skiing down freshly groomed slopes with nothing and no one in your way. And this ease drives loyalty and repeat clients, and it makes it easy for those clients to refer you to others.
The relationship is as important as the work
I’ve found that what people are really looking for is, of course good work, but they also want you to be easy to work with. This can be just as important as the end result.
I was recently working with a client who’s an expert in leadership communication. She needed a video editor and contacted one she’d worked with in the past. The problem was that although she liked the editor’s work they were very frustrating to work with.
When my client called the editor to ask if they could work on a video for an upcoming presentation, the editor replied, "Well, when do you want it?" They then continued with, "I've got all these other videos that I'm finishing off at the moment..." Then they complained on and on about the amount of work they had to do.
Instead of finding a solution for my client, this supplier just complained. As a result, my client felt dismissed, undervalued and not a priority. Considering the amount of money that my client had spent with this supplier over the last 10 years, it was disappointing for her to say the least.
This is not to say that the editor should have stopped work for other clients to make my client’s work a priority, particularly as the editor had already made commitments to others. But they should have been clear about their timing, helpful in setting up expectations (rather than complaining) and, if they couldn’t help her, perhaps even referred her on to someone who could.
This video editor has lost my client’s business in the future – and not because of the quality of their work. It’s hugely important to not only deliver the service, but also be a pleasure to engage with.
Conduct an ease audit
If this has gotten you wondering how easy you are to work with, I suggest you conduct this ease audit.
Are you easy to buy? Do you have pricing documents? Do you have a phone number on your website? Is it easy to call you? Do you interact on social media regularly? Do you have testimonials? Do you respond to people quickly? Do you have a structure or plan of how you work with people? Do you have a video on your website? Are you able to read buying signals when people are wanting to buy? Are you able to identify an opportunity to help someone and progress to a sales conversation?
Are you easy to say no to? This means you don't pressure people into sales, you don't apply guilt and you don’t try to manipulate them to buy.
Are you easy to work with? Are you upbeat? Are you responsive? Are you solutions-focused? Are you flexible? Do you avoid drama? Do you avoid creating more work for your client and instead make things easier for them?
Are you easy to leave? Firstly, do you have strategies to avoid people wanting to leave you in the first place, e.g., a sense of community, resources or tools? If people do want to stop working with you, can you get on a call to discuss the issues with them? Is it easy for them to stop the work without having legal issues? After they leave, are you still friendly to them? You don't want your client to feel guilty if they leave, or they won’t come back to you or refer others.
Are you easy to come back to? There are times when clients may leave and then as things change, return at a later date. It’s important that you continue to show you care after they’ve left. Do you still touch base and act friendly, even when they’re no longer your client?
A bonus question to ask yourself is, are you easy to refer? This means your messaging is clear and you work with a specific market on a specific problem. You have a website and a LinkedIn profile that reflect exactly what you do. Your messaging should clearly outline the problem you solve and who you solve it for.
Take the ease
The best way to ensure you’re easy to work with is by having a mindset that clients are for life. This will help you create more sustainability in your practice. You'll attract more people who want to work with you, and they’ll want to stay longer.
John Steinbeck famously wrote in one of his novels, ‘Being at ease with himself put him at ease with the world’. Take the ease.
I’d love to hear your thoughts…