Stand Your Ground [Day 28: 30 DBWB]

[This post is an excerpt from the 30 Days To A Better Wedding Business Workbook]

When I was first getting started I got an email from someone who was interested in working with me. Needless to say, I was excited and I wrote back asking her to tell me more about her business. It turned out she needed help marketing her services, so I told her that I work with a small number of clients privately and asked if she would be interested.

This is where it got weird.

She told me she would be interested and told (yes told, not asked if it was possible, told) me that she would pay me based on her results. Now what I do can not work on that model. It’s not up to me whether she implements my advice. Even though I was just getting started and I knew I could really use the business, I didn’t miss a beat and laid down the law. I told her exactly how I work with clients and the cost involved and that if she wanted to work with someone on a results basis, I was not the person for her. It felt AMAZING. This is MY business and no one else gets to tell me how to work. After all, that’s a big part of why I left employment!

The reason I was able to stand up for myself like this is because I know that not every client is for me and that’s okay. I don’t want to work with someone who isn’t going to value improving their business enough to pay for it. I know who I want to work with and that helps me say no to people who are the total opposite.

Do you know when to say no?

I’m not saying don’t be accommodating but have you drawn a line in the sand that you refuse to cross? Maybe it’s around price, maybe it’s around the type of client but knowing ahead of time what is and isn’t right for you makes the decision SO much easier.

When you get someone who you know is just not right for you and the want the world from you, just say something like this:

“As much as I’d like to work with you, I can’t offer you a lower price. If you’d like I can recommend someone who can work within your budget.”

At the end of the day, this is your business and you are in charge. YOU get to choose who gets to give you money for what you do. You are in a position of power in your own life, don’t forget that.