If you've been in business for a time, you've got a secret weapon–client distinction. You know that not EVERY warm body is your best client.

So, while still trying to build a superstar following and amass list subscribers, how do you begin the process to kindly weed out those clients who aren't your best fit and attract the ones that are with welcome arms?

You've got to learn how to use gates to get your best clients.

What I'm talking about is giving people the choice to interact with you. At first, it can be something as simple as opting in for your newsletter. The form they need to fill out is simple gate–usually just asking for their name and email address.

If you have a double opt-in where someone has to go in their inbox and click the link to confirm that they want to be on your email newsletter list, that's a slightly bigger gate.

Any action that you are requesting of a lead, can be a barrier. Either they open the gate or they don't. And if they don't–that's just fine. If they opt-out of your newsletter–REJOICE! They were never going to buy into what you're all about any way.

Every gate you build should be leading them done a pathway to ultimately do business with you. Sometimes, in the case of consulting or professional services, it's a long path. Sometimes in the case of retail, it's a short path–either they buy or they don't buy.

The newsletter gate is where many people stop gating.

I recommend building another gate. For example, if you are a consultant and you offer a free consultation, wouldn't it be more efficient for you to not just get on the phone with anybody (because your time is money), but get on the phone with the right people who are aligned with your services? To do that, you need a bigger gate!

Here's a short exercise to get started on building more complex gates.

Grab a piece of paper and a pen. Honestly, sometimes it's easier to start with the less than ideal client, because it's easy for our brains to tell us immediately what we don't want.

Think about a client that invokes the cringe factor–you see their number come up on your phone and you cringe when you answer it. What makes this engagement so difficult for you? Think back to when you first started talking in the sales process. Did you get any gut feelings? Did they say something that just didn't jive with you? Did they have a lot of objections to your pricing? Name the red flags.

Now figure out who your best client is, and what it is about them that makes them so great to work with. Make a list of some of their traits like are they collaborators in the process? Are they passionate? Are they your best client because they value you and the work that you do? Are they your highest paying client (not always the case)? Think back during the sales process–talking to them, did it feel natural? Did you just click? Why was that?

Think of your gate as a step in the process to doing business with you.

Make a list of questions you can ask to help you filter the best clients. Let's take a deep dive into our consultant with the free clarity call example. For instance, budget may be one of the deciding factors–your best clients can certainly afford you. You have a set price range for your services/products. Ask what their budget is, if they can't afford you, they aren't a good fit.

Timing may be another good question–if they need coaching right away for something like an up coming event–and your calendar's full for the next 6 weeks–they may need to look somewhere else.

Another question might be something like, how have you invested in your business over the last few months? Or do you have an assistant? Questions like these can tell you if they're used to hiring people to help them. Make your own list of targeted questions and maybe some notes on acceptable answers for you. Spend some serious thinking time on these questions–really think about what you need to know about the person before you get on the phone with them.

Let's get technical.

Now make short form for someone to complete before they can get access to you for a free consultation. There's TONS of easy to use form builders now that you can embed on your site ranging from free to paid. Some of my favorites are:

*Gravity Forms (paid plugin for WordPress *affiliate link) excellent for really complex show/hide questions

WuFoo Forrms

JotForms

Google Forms

TypeForm

Make the fields that you need to know required! Also, make sure you capture pertinent information like name, email, phone number. Place your form on a web page, and make no necessary promises of a free consultation–you'll review their answers to see if they are a good fit for you.

Now make sure the answers are set to be sent to you. Test your form to make sure everything works well for you.

Last step, put links to your form on your other web pages or in your opt-in freebie. Make it a step in the process to get closer to you!

Do you have a gate process in place to help you filter your best clients from the crowd? I want to hear about it!