EmbedEdit
In the early stages of running our business we tend to take on pretty much any client coming our way. We’re excited to be getting clients, making money, and gaining experience after going out on a limb to launch a business of our own.
THEN – we may find ourselves being a little more discerning about who you take on as a client.
You may have narrowed down your niche further after discovering what you really want your focus to be.
You may have noticed patterns in certain types of clients who you don’t enjoy working with as much.
You may have discovered a type of client you LOVE working with and want more of!
You may have started to fill up your schedule and just don’t have the open availability you used to have.
You may not be feeling quite as “desperate”, for lack of a better word, to book just anyone (or tolerate working with just anyone!)
This is when the time comes for you to consider passing on a client who is not the right fit – and sending them elsewhere.
In this episode, I want to walk you through a few scenarios where you may want to consider doing just that – turning down clients.
I personally have experiences ALL of these in my years in business and am here to offer some advice and guidance as you navigate these kind of decisions in the future.
In all of these cases, there may be times when you make an exception and still decide to take that client on – which is totally fine! As long as it feels right and in integrity for you – and doesn’t feel like you’re committing out of pressure or obligation. Those types of business partnerships rarely go well.
Scenarios when you may consider turning down a client:
#1- They’re outside your niche (your audience niche or service specialty)
I’m sure you want to create the best outcome for your clients, and you want to enjoy working with them as well. Staying within your specialty of the services you offer and the types of clients you work with can allow you to have more well ran processes and systems + allows you to really step into your authority in what you do.
When you go outside of this in an unaligned way (taking on a project/client that’s outside the services you typically want to focus on) it can cause the process to not always flow as smoothly, for it to take longer, and sometimes for you to not enjoy working with that client =
For us at In Flow: we only use the Showit website platform and no longer take on clients who want to use other platforms. I used to make an exception and still take on a WordPress project if the client still felt aligned. I no longer do this at all and only will work with Showit as a way to streamline and simplify things.
I will still work with a client outside our typical niches of travel and coaching – but they MUST still fit in with how we run our processes and our design services.
Other Examples:
- You’re a travel advisor and focus on more luxury level trips and they are looking for more budget conscious
- You’re a travel advisor specializing in Europe and they want to plan a trip to the Caribbean
- You’re a coach who prefers to focus more on group coaching and they want to hire you 1:1
#2- You’re outside their budget
Most likely there will be some people who really want to work with you, but are not in a place to invest to that level yet. AND THAT’S OKAY! If everyone can afford you, most likely you’re not priced high enough.
Your pricing is your pricing for a reason. Giving discounts or sacrificing on your end to fit someone else’s mold tends to only lead to frustration and resentment. And in my experience, the clients who are the most budget focused tend to be the most work and demand more time and energy.
It’s okay for you to be outside someone’s budget. In fact, it’s expected.
The only time I have ever adjusted my pricing on our services for a client was if we removed some of the work going into the project. I would never cut my pricing just because. That decrease in pricing has to be justified somewhere.
#3- You’re at full capacity and don’t have the time
It can be so tempting to take on another client when we’re at capacity, especially when they are wanting to get started ASAP and aren’t able or willing to wait until a later start date. We want to try and squeeze them in vs. having to tell them we are full and pass on the business.
While sometimes it’s totally fine to grind it out a bit and put in some extra hours to make to make it happen- really tune in and ask yourself if you ACTUALLY can do this right now, and what would the domino affects of taking this on be?
If you are working overtime to fit this client in – what else will you be sacrificing? And is it worth it?
Plus there is nothing wrong with being in high demand and having a waitlist. The people who truly value what you do and want to work with YOU – will adjust their timeline for your availability.
If you are continuously booked out far in advance you can consider expanding your team to accommodate more clients at once, or raising your prices.
#4- You’re already working with them and they are continuing to cross boundaries – consider cutting ties
This has been an extremely rare one for me in my years of being in business, but it has happened. Sometimes if a client is continuing to cross your boundaries and is really difficult to work with – it can be in everyone’s best interest (and the best interest of your own sanity!) to part ways and cancel working together.
Crossing boundaries could look like a client who:
- Continues to speak disrespectfully to you and/or your team (either on a call or in email)
- Isn’t communicating and always missing deadlines
- Doesn’t respect the way you run your business (ex: spams you with messages, calls at all hours, demands immediate responses etc)
Yes, this may cost you money to do this. You may loose out on the rest of the payments from that client, possibly have to refund a deposit or some kind if that’s in your policies. But if it’s available to you to release the $, you won’t regret it. Doing this once cost me thousands of $ – and in return I got SO MUCH PEACE and relief. Totally worth it.
Tips for handling this professionally:
- Be open and honest about the situation.
- Offer them a recommendation for someone else who could be a better fit – if you know someone
Remember that what’s in your best interest is ALSO in their best interest. You should feel good about staying true to who is a good fit to work with and who isn’t.
Want to stay in the loop for all future Align & Amplify Podcast episodes?!
CLICK HERE to subscribe on Apple Podcasts!
