IF A POTENTIAL CLIENT TELLS YOU THIS, MY ADVICE IS TO RUN ... AND RUN FAST!!!

Dec 30

As a business owner, it can be hard to listen to the ‘little voice’ in your head that says:

THIS PERSON WANTING TO HIRE ME IS BAD NEWS … DON’T ACCEPT MONEY FROM THEM!!!!

It’s not a natural thing to do … we, as badass business owners, are here to make money, support our family, grow our portfolios, etc … and ‘saying no’ to someone who wants to keep that dream going?? Well, it feels weird.

bonus post: listening to your gut can be scary in business

It’s a sign that you are growing and developing as a professional when you start to notice ‘red flags’ from previous situations … and then apply those warning signs to potential clients. A recent ‘red flag’ that I have added to my list is the client who says this:

I HAVE HAD A BAD EXPERIENCE WITH EVERY SINGLE WEBSITE DESIGNER I HAVE EVER WORKED WITH

Now, before I dive in … this is only a bad thing if they have worked with MULTIPLE website designers … not just one … the common denominator has to be THEM … the potential client.

Now, let’s use that in an example for you … let’s say you are a florist … and you have a potential client say this:

“I AM SO EXCITED THAT I FOUND YOU … I HAVE WORKED WITH 3 OTHER FLORISTS BEFORE AND IT WAS ALWAYS A DISASTER!!!”

Hmmm … immediately your brain wants to do this:

CHALLENGE ACCEPTED.

But(!!!!) I urge you to take that one step further and ask yourself (silently, of course) some questions:

why have they ended in disaster 3 times and with all different florists?
is it because the client is a nightmare?
is it worth risking to be florist number 4 on that list?

If your gut SCREAMS out at you … I say: RUN … RUN FAST … RUN FAR AWAY.

Here’s the thing … math doesn’t lie. Common denominators are a thing to be trusted … if a client keeps having horrible experiences with one type of professional, is never happy, walks away with a bad taste in their mouth, etc … then it’s VERY POSSIBLE that they are unreasonable as people and are extremely hard to work with!

In my profession, and really, in most professions, communication is key … actually, let me rephrase that statement:

CLEAR AND HEALTHY COMMUNICATION IS KEY.

Much better. If you have a client who can’t communicate or when they do, they do so very poorly, it will make your job IMPOSSIBLE to do well. The client may not even be aware that they are poor communicators either!! And that, is probably the WORST thing that a service providing business owner has to deal with.

So, I will repeat: If you are a photographer and you hear this:

“EACH TIME I GET MY PHOTO PROFESSIONALLY TAKEN I HATE THE PICTURES … WHEN I SAW YOUR WORK I KNEW YOU’D BE ABLE TO PHOTOGRAPH ME WELL!! I’M SO EXCITED!!!”

… and your brain wants to do this:

“I WILL SHOW HER HOW AWESOME I AM AND SHE’LL LOVE THE PHOTOS SO SO SO SO SO SO MUCH!!!”

It’s important to stop, take a day, ask yourself questions … then you can make a decision on whether or not it’s worth it.

Heather, sometimes a client has just truly hired sh*tty people and they learn from their mistakes … ABSOLUTELY!! Which is why it’s important to listen to the ‘feeling’ you are getting … look at the clues, feel the vibes … and make a decision that you feel good about.

XO~ Heather