When growth passes through recognizing who's serious

And you're tired of those who say just to say

Do you recognize this situation?

• Digital consultant solo with some external collaborators
• Solid revenue, excellent profits (excellent margins), significant growth
• Very clear ideal client: problem solver person without blinders
• But only concern: recognizing who's serious vs who talks just to talk
• And the fear is: wasting energy on unkept words

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The trap of noise among true committed ones

The numbers are good.

Solid revenue, excellent profits.
Significant growth.
7 external collaborators supporting you.

Ideal client defined with laser precision:
Woman, 30+, senior role, problem solver, without blinders.

People who are serious.

But the problem isn't the market.
It's filtering who's serious from who says just to say.

How many times have you heard:
"Yes, let's do this project together!"
And then? Silence.
"I'll give you feedback by Friday!"
Friday passes. Nothing.

Unkept words.

Not once. Repeatedly.

And you're tired.
Tired of wasting time with those who talk but don't act.

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What happens when you lose time with those who don't keep

On the commercial front:

• Time spent on prospects who "seem interested"
• Infinite follow-ups for people who never decide
• Emotional energy burned on false promises
• Pipeline full of "maybe" instead of "yes"

On the collaborations front:

• 7 external collaborators: but how many really keep?
• Goal: 8 "apostles" = truly committed people
• Difference apostle vs collaborator: apostle believes and acts, collaborator says "yes" but doesn't do

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On the personal front:

• Growing frustration
• Cynicism: you start not trusting anymore
• Energy drops: "What's the point of proposing if nothing happens?"
• Risk emotional burnout more than operational

On the growth front:

• Goal: target monthly revenue (from current level)
• But how, if you lose time with those not committed?
• Need some real commercials, not 10 who say "maybe"
• Network quality > contact quantity

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Why it happens

You have an input selection problem, not management.

You let people into your world who aren't aligned.
Because:

• They seemed interested
• They said the right things
• They showed initial enthusiasm

But saying ≠ doing.

And you don't yet have a system to understand immediately
who's committed and who's just exploring.

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The (wrong) path many try

Apparent solution: "I do more follow-up, maybe then they decide"

But chasing those who aren't ready
doesn't make them ready.
It just makes them more annoyed.

Don't convince.
Filter.

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The 5-step method:

1. Brutal qualifying questions at opening
   → First contact: not service presentation
   → But questions: "Are you ready to invest X in this?" "Do you have time to implement?" "What have you already tried and why didn't it work?"
   → If vague answers: "Thanks, we're not a match"
   → Only those who answer clearly proceed
2. Commitment test before investing time
   → Before proposal: ask small commitment
   → E.g.: "Fill out this pre-analysis questionnaire" (15 minutes)
   → Who doesn't fill = not committed
   → Who fills well = strong signal
   → No rush: they respect your time, you respect theirs
3. Written contracts/agreements even for small things
   → External collaborators: not "let's see how it goes"
   → But clear agreement: "You commit to X by Y, I give you Z"
   → Writing crystallizes commitment
   → Who doesn't want to sign = red flag
4. Some apostles: rigorous selection
   → Not "who's available"
   → But "who demonstrated repeated commitment over time"
   → 1 apostle worth 10 lukewarm collaborators
   → Better 3 real apostles than 20 maybes
   → Invest time on who deserves, zero on who hesitates
5. No-bullshit communication
   → When someone says "Yes" and then disappears: call them out
   → "We said X, Y happened. Are you still in or is it better to close?"
   → Permission to exit honestly > staying with pretense
   → Who stays after direct confrontation = reliable

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What changes after

You only work with those who keep.

Some real apostles.
Some committed commercials.
Clients who say yes and then really do.

Zero energy wasted on "maybe".
Zero infinite follow-ups.
Zero disappointments from unkept promises.

Revenue grows (target monthly revenue)
but above all: you work with serenity.

Because whoever is with you, is with you seriously.