"People who pay are serious. Charge for consultations to eliminate tire-kickers." they told you.

Here's the thing: Seriousness and payment don't guarantee that serving clients will be easy or that they are ready to get results.

Someone can be serious enough to pay your consultation and service fees, but it does not mean they are ready to be served.

That act of commitment shows that they know they have a problem and have such a strong desire to solve it that they paid for the solution. But that doesn't mean they have the time, capability, mindset, or resources required to actually implement what you teach them..

🦩Pink Flamingo Insight: Client readiness, for the transformation you offer, is about a client's ability to get results.

Without their ability, three things happen that affect your boundaries:

1. Clients struggle to get results despite your best efforts. You care about delivering with excellence so you find yourself going above and beyond, spending extra time trying to help them succeed.

2. They start bypassing your boundaries and processes. Intuitively, they start feeling less confident about your ability to help them and their ability to get results.

3. You carry guilt about their lack of progress so you lose confidence in your boundaries. You know you're failing someone who trusted you with their money and their problem. You feel like you're letting them down. So when they bypass your processes, you don't hold your standard. You think: Maybe I should be more flexible. They paid me and they're struggling. They need help.

Pink systems eliminate all this. By screening clients for success capacity, not just seriousness or payment capacity, you start the relationship on the right foot:

Layer 1: Screens for a person's ability to get results

Understand the abilities that your clients need to get great results. Only then can you screen for those abilities through marketing and/or an application process. These abilities typically include:

• Psychological, physical, and intellectual abilities

• Access to resources: finances, time, proper tools, subject matter experts, etc.

Layer 2: Redirects people who don't have the abilities required for for your offer.

Redirect them to an offer that prepares them for your main offer, whether that's something free or a downsell. Refer them to someone else who can help them develop those missing abilities. Two revenue opportunities that give people what they truly need without taking your time and energy.

Layer 3: Updates your client delivery process to build required abilities.

There are some abilities that you as the expert need to foster so your clients can thrive as you work together. Update your client delivery process to foster those abilities.

Example: Clients had customers who didn't have internet connection so didn't do the work. Others didn't have the skillset or the finances to hire skilled support.

One client had customers who battled imposter syndrome. She spent months cajoling serious clients who needed mindset work first. Things changed when she screened prospects for common mindset issues her clients experienced. Then referred those people to a mindset coach as they worked with her. She got revenue from the referral and got clients who had the mindset to implement the strategies and tactics she recommended.

Way more efficient and effective than pay-to-play consultations that still wasted time when the 'wrong fit' paid.

When you know clients have what it takes to succeed, you confidently hold boundaries. When they bypass processes, you know it's choice, not lack of ability. You can confidently say: "I opted to work with you because you have everything needed to succeed. Let's use the process that works."

That's the assurance and protection you need that a "consultation fee" or "seriousness check" boundary cannot give you. You need systems that ensure everyone has the ability they need, including you..

🦩Your 5-Minute Pink Systems Dare

Write down 3 skills or aptitudes your clients must have to hire you and be successful as you deliver your services.

Want the complete assessment? Get our DIY Client Readiness Criteria ($99). Identify all readiness criteria for your service and where to implement them in your process.

🦩Pink Flamingo Systems was created for leaders who've outgrown the either/or approach to service

It's your process gateway to business leadership that serves others (your clients and team) AND honors you and your vision. 

So you run a business that serves everyone well, including you because your process makes stepping on your boundaries nearly impossible.

Choose your adventure:

• One day - Fix your client screening process gaps or your biggest client/team process boundary violation gaps

• 3 days - Redesign your entire client fulfillment system from client screening all the way to offboarding

• DIY - Client Readiness Criteria: Identify all readiness criteria for your service and where to implement them in your process

ALL paths end the same way: processes that position you to serve with excellence while protecting your boundaries and vision.

No more choosing between you or your people (clients/team).

You either keep getting steamrolled by the same patterns...

Or you eliminate what's forcing the choice.

Ready to stop choosing? Book a call →

Not ready? Keep reading our emails. You'll know when.

Real expertise isn't following a roadmap perfectly—it's knowing when and how to adapt the map.