It is a fact of life that you’re not going to love all your clients. Some might be demanding or obnoxious and you would much rather not have to deal with them.
But even if refusing a customer is your right, it might not always be right for your business.
There’s a check list you can create to ensure that you’re making the right decision to refuse a client. Just ask yourself these questions:
Does the project go against my morals and ethics?
When you set up your business, you probably laid down a purpose for your company; a mission statement of sorts. Those ideals have been the backbone of your business and suddenly a client comes along with an amazing offer. Only, it infringes on the ideals that formed your company. The question is, whether you should stick to the ideals or accept the project and work on it regardless?
While this is subjective, it is best to stick to your morals in the case. For example, if you’re a firm committed to being environmentally conscious and your customer wants you to work on a project that goes against that, it is acceptable to say no. You can simply state that it is against your policy to work on such projects and offer them a greener alternative if you can.
Is my team comfortable working on this project?
Taking your employees’ opinions into consideration is important as well. If your team doesn’t feel comfortable working on a particular project, you need to sit down and discuss why it is so and deal with it. There are times that your team might feel that the deadline isn’t achievable or the project might harm the company’s reputation in some way. The overall health and success of your business does depend on the overall happiness of your employees as well.
Does this client violate agreements?
Some clients can be late in making payments, some can cancel at the last moment and some nitpick on small issues just to get a discount or back out. Most small business owners come to recognize these types of clients and customers easily enough. You can very well refuse to work for such clients. A delay in payments can affect your finances significantly, especially if there’s a large amount of money tied up with the client.
Who is the right client for me?
It is important to learn how to recognize the client that you would love to work with. Maybe they’re passionate about an interesting project and full of ideas that need direction. Such clients are generally a pleasure to work with. If you learn to recognize your favored type of client, you’ll have more of them to work with as opposed to the clients you don’t care much for. Business owners, especially those who are new to business, have a tendency to accept every client they can. Eventually, you learn to become more selective.