Saying Yes, When You Should Say No Can Damage Your Business
Business has been slow lately. You need a client. And then one shows up, but it’s for an area that is far away and you don’t really know. Or maybe it’s an investor client and you don’t work that market.
But you say yes anyway. Not because you want to, but because you are afraid to say no. Maybe you don’t want to hurt the feelings of the person who referred you, or you are afraid if you say no to one that they will not refer others. Or maybe you just need a paycheck.
Every time I’ve done this it has backfired in the worst way.
Either I didn’t follow-up with the clients like I knew I should, or it became readily apparent that I don’t know what in the heck I was talking about. Neither of which is good. In one scenario I look unprofessional, in the other I look like an idiot.
In every instance it’s never worked out. Which means, not only did I not get paid for the hours that I spent, but it caused damage to my relationships with my clients and the people who referred them. It also threw off the momentum with the rest of my clients.
The client deserved better, and I was too scared to give them what they deserved.
The damage that this can do to your business is terrible.
Clients come to you and refer to you because they consider you the expert in what is unknown territory for them. Sometimes, being the professional expert is saying that you are not the right person for the job and connecting them to someone who is.
It can feel like a loss in the moment, but the gains end up being huge. It frees up your time to work with the clients that are right for you and often your clients end up being MORE loyal to you because you told them the truth.
We are all so afraid of the truth, but having the wisdom to know when to hold ’em and know when to fold ’em is priceless.
Anytime I have referred a client to another agent they are so appreciative that my first priority was taking care of them. It actually strengthened the bond.
If you are thinking all of this sounds great, but how do you get your business to a level where you can “afford” to say no to a client or refer them out? (Notice afford is in quotes, because I truly believe that you can’t afford not to.) then join us for the Mindset ~ Marketing ~ Momentum group that starts in April. We will get your business momentum up and running for you. Click here for more information.
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