Refusing Clients
Refusing Clients
Are there bad clients?
As much as most of us have faith in people, there are customers who will make your life difficult and may even cost you more than you earn.
Jackie asked me for a quote to prepare a product catalogue for her. As my quote was out of her budget I gave her a lower price to just prepare the text so she could do the formatting herself. I spent more time on this project than I had expected because Jackie questioned every little details and kept returning the text in tables.
Finally, the project was finished and Jackie complained that it wasn’t formatted and wouldn’t pay her bill. I later found out that Jackie did similar things with her web designer, only paying an invoice when she wanted something else done to her site.
I would love to say that Jackie is the only bad customer, but the reality is that most businesses will find their own Jackie over time.
Aren’t bad customers the price of doing business?
Bad customers don’t treat with you with respect and are the most likely to pay bills late. They are demanding and therefore take up more of your time than is reasonable of expected in your quote.
They won’t acknowledge any extras you do for them – they will take them for granted, basically, and probably won’t give you any word of mouth referrals later either.
Basically, these customers will use up your time and patience without paying for it.
Compare this to good customers who respect you and your time, and pay you promptly.
Your time and expertise are better spent on the good customers, for the sake of your profits and your enjoyment of doing business.
Choosing your customers
After a while, it is easier to spot those clients who may be difficult to deal with. It may be their tone of voice on the phone, the attention to detail before you even prepare a quote, the look they give you as they enter your shop or that they try to negotiate a special deal.
Once you have spotted a bad customer, what do you do about it?
Obviously it is important to be polite and use good customer service to everyone who contacts your business. But that doesn’t mean you have to accept every client nor accept any rudeness or abuse.
You need to have faith that you will attract other customers so that you don’t have to accept them all to make money. And you need to respect yourself and your staff enough to protect yourselves from clients who make work unpleasant.
How do I say no to a client?
Above all, stay polite and respectful when dealing with unpleasant customers. You can be form and refuse to listen to abuse, but do it politely.
You can just say “no, we can’t help you” or you can choose to give a reason.
Refusing Clients - To learn more about this author, visit Tash Hughes's Website.
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When you run a small business, especially in the early days, you grab every client you can. But is that really the best tactic for your business?
Are there bad clients?
As much as most of us have faith in people, there are customers who will make your life difficult and may even cost you more than you earn.
Jackie asked me for a quote to prepare a product catalogue for her. As my quote was out of her budget I gave her a lower price to just prepare the text so she could do the formatting herself. I spent more time on this project than I had expected because Jackie questioned every little details and kept returning the text in tables.
Finally, the project was finished and Jackie complained that it wasn’t formatted and wouldn’t pay her bill. I later found out that Jackie did similar things with her web designer, only paying an invoice when she wanted something else done to her site.
I would love to say that Jackie is the only bad customer, but the reality is that most businesses will find their own Jackie over time.
Aren’t bad customers the price of doing business?
Bad customers don’t treat with you with respect and are the most likely to pay bills late. They are demanding and therefore take up more of your time than is reasonable of expected in your quote.
They won’t acknowledge any extras you do for them – they will take them for granted, basically, and probably won’t give you any word of mouth referrals later either.
Basically, these customers will use up your time and patience without paying for it.
Compare this to good customers who respect you and your time, and pay you promptly.
Your time and expertise are better spent on the good customers, for the sake of your profits and your enjoyment of doing business.
Choosing your customers
After a while, it is easier to spot those clients who may be difficult to deal with. It may be their tone of voice on the phone, the attention to detail before you even prepare a quote, the look they give you as they enter your shop or that they try to negotiate a special deal.
Once you have spotted a bad customer, what do you do about it?
Obviously it is important to be polite and use good customer service to everyone who contacts your business. But that doesn’t mean you have to accept every client nor accept any rudeness or abuse.
You need to have faith that you will attract other customers so that you don’t have to accept them all to make money. And you need to respect yourself and your staff enough to protect yourselves from clients who make work unpleasant.
How do I say no to a client?
Above all, stay polite and respectful when dealing with unpleasant customers. You can be form and refuse to listen to abuse, but do it politely.
You can just say “no, we can’t help you” or you can choose to give a reason.
Refusing Clients - To learn more about this author, visit Tash Hughes's Website.
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George LudwigGeorge Ludwig is a recognized authority on sales strategy and peak performance psychology. An international speaker, trainer, and corporate consultant, he helps clients like Johnson & Johnson, Abbott Laboratories, Northwestern Mutual, CIGNA, and numerous others improve sales force effectiveness and performance. Though it's George's strategies and processes that help corporations increase productivity and performance, it's his tremendous energy and dynamism that spark the transformation. Again and again, clients remark on his amazing ability to unleash human capacity and inspire men and women to break out of their comfort zones. The result is a whole new type of salesperson. His customized presentations teach achievers to make stunning advances in their lives. From helping salespeople realize cherished dreams to helping corporations exponentially accelerate revenue streams, George Ludwig leaves audiences and individuals empowered, emboldened, and clamoring for more. George is the best-selling author of Power Selling: Seven Strategies for Cracking the Sales Code and Wise Moves: 60 Quick Tips to Improve Your Position in Life & Business. - Visit George Ludwig's Website |
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Anne BarrAnne Barr has over 26 years experience in sales and marketing, six years as a franchisee. She has assisted over 367 business owners and purchasers to achieve their goals in career change, transition and exit strategy. She holds the designation of Certified Franchise Executive from the International Franchise Association, Certified Business Intermediary from the International Business Brokers Association and Board Certified Broker from the Texas Association of Business Brokers. Anne is active in professional organizations, networking groups and volunteers for non-profit entities. As owner/operator of four successful businesses, Anne has proven people skills and enjoys helping clients find the right "fit" in business ownership. Visit www.FranchiseOpportunitySpecialist.com for more information about me and my company. - Visit Anne Barr's Website |
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John PowerJohn Power, founder of Biltmore Franchise Consulting, has extensive experience developing and marketing franchises and business opportunities. He has been in and around franchising for over twenty years. From 1980 through 1990 he conceptualized, organized, and developed the American Video Association. He grew AVA to 2,000 national members, before selling the company it 1990. It was later merged into another home video marketing company. From 2000 to 2005 he worked as a contract marketing and human resources consultant to several local and national companies. In 2005 Mr. Power began working as a franchise development consultant on a full-time basis. Since that time he has helped more than three dozen companies initiate and develop their franchising program. He notes that there are many companies interested in developing a franchise program, and who need his specialized assistance. Mr. Power is a “hands-on” franchise consultant. He said, “I am the ‘nuts and bolts’ person who tends to the details for my clients.” Mr. Power holds a B.S. degree with a major in Marketing. See: www.biltmorefranchise.com You may contact Mr. Power at: jpower@biltmorefranchise.co - Visit John Power's Website |
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John BrennanJohn Brennan Ed.D. Dr. Brennan is President of Interpersonal Development, LLC, a training and development firm. Interpersonal Development has provided sales training and coaching to more than 3,000 sales reps from over 100 companies. A native of Australia, Dr. Brennan received his doctorate from the University of Rochester. His dissertation researched the effectiveness of Behavioral Modeling Technology in training people in interpersonal skills. While he has spent most of his career designing or delivering training, he was also a Vice-President of Sales of a training and development franchise with operations in 25 markets. Dr. Brennan has designed and delivered sales training in North America, Asia, Europe, Australia and the Middle East. He has been a guest speaker at numerous national and regional professional conferences. When Microsoft wanted Best Practices articles on sales for their web site, they called Dr. Brennan. The results are at http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/FX011387391033.aspx His firm’s clients have included Volvo, The Prudential, Merrill Lynch, Eastman Kodak, Gannett, Equifax Europe, the Economist Group and countless small businesses. - Visit John Brennan's Website |
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