Are You My Ideal Weight Loss Client?

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As consumers, of which I am one of course, we have those retail stores or service providers with whom we prefer to shop over others, whether because of the value they provide over others who may provide the same product or service, or the in-store shopping experience that one store provides over another, and there are many other factors that we use to determine where and with whom we will shop for what we need.

So, for example, for me . . . an ideal shopping experience is in-store, vs online, and in a business establishment where things are clearly and neatly displayed, where I’m not approached incessantly by sales people asking if they can help; where there isn’t insanely loud music blaring from speakers so I can’t hear myself think; where, if in a restaurant, a server is attentive so I don’t have to constantly look around to find that person for more water or more napkins; and you get the point. An ideal physician, for me, is one who with rare exceptions due to emergencies perhaps sees me on time or very, very close to it because he/she values their patients time.

Well, the other day, in conversation with business colleagues of mine, the topic of “ideal clients” came up. This is a topic that’s very often written about, but one that I never took a deep-dive into really thinking about until that moment. So, I did. I took a legal pad and wrote across the top, “If I could hand-pick the clients I want to work with, who would they be?” And I wanted to speak about that today.

First off, let me say that everyone (regardless of age, gender, or medical issues) who reaches out to my business has problems and challenges that we can easily show them how to fix and help solve with our eyes closed. We’re VERY good at what we do. But . . . our ideal clients are those who:

1.  Are not penny-wise and dollar-foolish.

There are certainly diets with whom you can definitely do cheap (and fast) in the short-term . . . and then cheap (and fast) again and again and again. So, “cheap” becomes very expensive over time (and “fast” actually becomes “never”).

Good service ain’t cheap . . . and cheap service ain’t good. If your main concern is how much money you’ll be spending, you’re not the right client for us.

2.  Are not looking for quick and easy.

There are no short cuts to any place worth going, and no easy paths on the road to change. There are, however, enough drive-through weight-loss programs to choose from, all vying for the next sucker to whom they can sell the same bridge. That’s not us.

3.  Are truly sick and tired.

Are you sick and tired of being sick and tired . . . and of being fat? If you’re not, chances are you’re also not going to be eager and willing to do the hard work of learning how to get and stay slim, in which case you’re not the right client for us.

4.  Are accepting of the amount of weight they need to lose.

How many more times in your life do you want to lose “almost” all of the weight you need to lose?

We do understand that sometimes people cannot see themselves at a weight we set, but we see it, and we have been doing this successfully for a very long time. Our job is not to get you to a weight that you want to be if that weight is still over-weight; it’s not to get you to the “slimmest I’ve ever been” if that is still overweight. Our job is to get you to the weight we know you need to be — so we can put you through stabilization and maintenance programs to give you the best chance of never gaining weight again. If you have 50 pounds to lose but only want to lose 30, we’re not the program for you.

5.  Are not scale-obsessed (or don’t want to be).

If your sole objective is to transform your body into a skinnier pair of jeans (“outcome goals”), and to hell with how you get there (“process goals”), you’re not the right client for us.

6.  Are able to handle the truth.

We don’t sugar-coat stuff. We tell it like it is, and sometimes what “is” isn’t what you want to hear. The process of changing one’s eating and lifestyle habits must include the process of owning up to why you are where you are, taking responsibility for your actions, and taking the “victim” and “blame” cards out of your deck. Both those cards don’t “play” well with us.

7.  Are not close-minded.

Our experience is that those who think they “know it all” when it comes to weight loss simply because they’ve been dieting forever are also those who are unwilling to be open-minded about a new way of doing things. They’re full of “I can’ts” and “I won’ts” in terms of what they can’t do and/or won’t eat or drink (excluding allergies and medical issues, of course), or won’t give up. They’ll throw the money at us and think that because they “joined” the program, that’s the same as “doing” the program. If this is you, save your money. We’re the wrong program for you.

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So, to sum it all up, our ideal clients are those who:

1.  See us as a valuable necessity they respect, instead of a necessary evil.
2.  Appreciate our hard work, and will tell their friends, peers, and contacts about us.
3.  Happily pay us what we’re worth . . . because they know we’re worth it.

The most successful clients are those who understand that change is necessary to make progress, and they don’t just want to want change. They really want to change.