Common Mistakes: When To Say No

July 19, 2012

Readers,

I want to thank you all so much for taking the time to share your wonderful feedback yesterday.  I followed the advice of the majority and respectfully declined the client.

Being in the service industry,  I subscribe to the old-school way of thinking which is that the client is always right.  This situation (along with your feedback) set a new thought-process in motion. I started to wonder when is it OK to say no to clients and potential clients?

Looking back through my history of service, I was able to identify the top four reasons to say no.

  1. When clients ask me for a “deal” of some kind (even if I do not make a profit).
  2. Clients who asked me to lower my prices with the suggestion that I will get other clients from their event.  The problem with this stems from the fact that those new clients may expect the same discount.
  3. Clients who bring me bills from other vendors and expect me to “beat” their prices. Yes, folks, this has happened on several occasions.
  4. Clients who insist on paying the majority of their bill after the event takes place. Please do not even consider doing this one.

Throughout my career, I have learned a great deal by making many mistakes. Some of those mistakes are never worth repeating. I have found the best way to avoid future frustration is to simply say, “No, I am sorry. I can’t”.  After all, a loving “no” to the world may be the best way to say “yes” to yourself.

Blessings,

Preston

Question: If placed in any of the situations listed above, how would you manage? Would it be easy for you to say no? Why or why not?

(Photo courtesy of  The Opposite of Tomato)

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8 Responses to Common Mistakes: When To Say No


  1. Latisha
    July 19, 2012

    I know this may be against the business but people must realize that having an event is a luxury and if you cannot afford something during the process you shouldn’t be throwing that level of an event. Is it really life altering if you can’t afford the chargers you really want? No. In this profession I think we as the creative experts should feel comfortable with telling a client no & perhaps this is outside of your budget and we need to stick within your budget to find you something that will realistically work. We live in a society that wants what we can’t afford at any cost because we want it. We can’t feel bad because they want a deal. We cheat ourselves. Easier said than done I know.



  2. Patricia Simitakos The Eco Conscious Planner
    July 19, 2012

    Well said. I don’t that what you are saying is “no, I won’t do this for you”, but rather, “please, respect the fact that I am a professional person trying to run a business. In an industry where reputation is EVERYTHING – I must make the best ethical choices … my clients depend on it. “



  3. Egils Matiss
    July 19, 2012

    AMEN! Say yes to ourselves.



  4. Ricardo Rivera
    July 19, 2012

    I agree, you are 100 % right.



  5. Christina - Classic Creations Floral Design
    July 20, 2012

    Yes, I have dealt with a few of those situations. You live and learn and figure out when you say no and decline a job. As a floral designer I get the “can you do this for free? It will give you tons of exposure”. In the beginning when I started my company I would do everything to get my name out there, but now being a bit more established I tend to decline. Our time is worth something!

    Glad to hear that you made your decision on that potential job.



  6. monica
    July 20, 2012

    you are sooooo right! I see myself in all those 4 situations and…. you learn from your experinces, this is what counts !



  7. Navjot Kaur
    July 20, 2012

    I learnt the hard way and now. I leave nothing for later. Regarding pricing, I recall explaining to one of my client that I have to pay more for longer stems and response was can we instead use shortstems and use the floral picks to increase the length. It was pretty hard to sat “no” in the beginning but balance is the key.



  8. Pam Archer
    July 24, 2012

    “No” is much easier for me to say than when I first started. I’ve learned the hard way that all four of these lead to a loss for me.