Let’s assume for the moment that if you had four million dollars in the bank you’d still want to work – because you enjoy work, savor accomplishments, get a kick out of helping people, or some other reason.
The bottom line is, you’ve got the four million, but you still want that next client and the next one after him (or her). You just don’t need them. 
Knowing that you don’t need the money, two things would happen:
- You’d walk into meetings with confidence, knowing you can take it or leave it.
- You would be more discriminating about which clients you served. Demanding, difficult people could go find someone else, because you wouldn’t be interested.
Actually, a third thing would also happen:
Strangely, when a client can feel that you don’t “need” their business, it makes you more attractive – now they feel sure that they need you. Isn’t that the same thing we tell clients about successful negotiation? The person with the advantage in any negotiation is the one who is willing to walk away.
Well, no, there’s a 4th thing…
You’d start enjoying your work more, because clients would have more respect for you and thus cooperate and listen to your advice – and you would NOT be working with the kind of clients who make your life miserable.
And the 5th thing – when you enjoy your work, you do a better job. When you do a better job, you generally make more money.
I’m not suggesting that you adopt an arrogant “I don’t need you” attitude – that’s just rude and off-putting. I’m suggesting that you play a little mind trick on yourself before you meet with that next prospect.
The next time you’re getting ready for an appointment, take a few minutes to relax and imagine what it would feel like to be in that meeting knowing you had 4 million dollars in the bank. Let yourself feel how you think that would feel. Then hang on to the feeling – go into that meeting with an attitude that you’d like to have the business if the client is a good fit for you, but you don’t need it.
