All right now.

So you got that phone call…THE PHONE CALL. You know the one…the preliminary call from someone who just happened upon your Web site. Someone who thinks you can help her (or him) take care of the overload that’s frequently causing them a major Excedrin headache number 409.

Now what? After you jump up and down a bit and excitedly scream and holler (good cheers) at your potential good fortune, what comes next?

Actually, before you even get to this place, before you wonder what you’ll say when you respond to the call, think about what you’re looking for in a client. Perhaps you’ll consider personality-type characteristics and work habits, things that will blend with or complement your personality and work ethic.

Or, maybe you’re someone who will just jump off the bridge to do things with the hope a life jacket will magically appear on your way down; a “life jacket” in the form of a rescue from a colleague or some really great software.

Think about this

Just because you get the call, it doesn’t mean you have to accept the client. After all (aside from the obvious$), you got into this business mostly because you wanted to do something you loved, and if you end up working with someone who doesn’t reasonably share your philosophies or your work ethic, someone who pulls you down, someone who makes it hard for you to remain in a happy place, the life may be whooshed out of you so that it’s no longer rewarding or fun. And you end up not getting anything done!

It’s well-known that for the most part when we do something we love, we’re more inclined to excel. We’re more focused and passionate, and we’re likely to attract like-minded individuals sooner and in greater numbers.

Taking the call

So then the next step you take will be as varied and as many as the readers to this post. You may even decide to just wing it. However, you might consider the following:

Although the prospect will be interviewing you, it is important to realize you’ll be on a highway that goes both ways in that you’ll be an interviewer, as well as an interviewee. Thus, if the prospect presents a picture without roses, you may decide “no thanks” is the best option.

And being in a position of choice, where you keep such things in mind, will help put the consultation and the outcome into perspective so you don’t end up getting burned.