Ever Heard of Client-Pleasing? Your Might Suffer from It, Too.

Have you ever struggled with client-pleasing? With caring more about what a client thinks of you than what your Creator thinks of you? With wanting to honor God, but also wanting to be loved and respected by clients?

There's a difference between great customer service and client-pleasing, and you need to understand this difference in order to show up as the entrepreneur God created you to be.

Writing to believers in Galatia, Paul had a message for those deciding if they should trust the stand-alone grace of Jesus, or add rules and regulations to Jesus’ finished work. He said: 

“Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.”

‭‭(Galatians‬ ‭1:10‬ ‭NIV‬‬)

Every client interaction and conversation, we have a choice: to seek client approval or God’s approval.

And if we genuinely desire to please God through our businesses, how do we do so?

Dear Christian entrepreneurs, listen….it’s not by doing enough “good works” in our businesses to tip the scales in our favor. But as Hebrews 11:6 says, “Without faith it’s impossible to please God…” The only part we have to play in our salvation is having faith in the One who saves.

Faith is essentially trust, so think about it: Who do you trust? Who are you trying to please? Clients? Your employees?  A business partner? 

Who are you hoping notices you and accepts you and is proud of you? A parent? A sibling?

If you’re interested in evaluating your own motives—which can sometimes be difficult—you can ask yourself these questions:

• Is my entrepreneurial journey influenced more by cultural trends, societal pressure, and the opinions of others—or by the Word of God?

• Am I trusting that there’s nothing I can add to the finished work of Jesus, or am I believing the lie that Jesus plus something else in my business is required?

• Am I committed to trusting God to lead my company, even when I might get canceled by prospects, blocked by haters, or fired by a client?

If popularity is your goal in business, leading with a Jesus-first mindset might be a challenge. But if you’re committed to trusting God, then He calls you to run your business differently. He invites you to embrace His approval by showing others unconditional kindness, patience, grace, and love - the hallmarks of great customer service!

At the end of your life, you will stand before an audience of One.

So who are you trying to please?