When should you say NO to a client

The hardest thing in the world for me is to say NO, I’m the people pleaser who wants to get everything done for everybody and exhaust myself in the process.

Of course, that’s not the right way to go about it and in the long run, it’s not sustainable either.

There comes a time you have to step back and understand how much you can stretch yourself and learn to say No.

Here are a few instances where you should consider saying NO -

1. Gap In Client’s Budget And Your Quotation - Of course there can be some margin for negotiation because it’s India haha, everyone haggles.

So sometimes what helps is, quoting 10-20% higher than what you charge so that even after the negotiation, you’ve arrived at a price that was in your mind initially.

And if a client tried to pull you down even further, you can politely refuse by saying “I’m sorry but it has to be feasible for both of us and this quote doesn’t do justice to my time and efforts”

2. Instances when you’re overbooked - There are situations where there’s a great influx of orders and you’re completely booked. It’s essential to not chew on more than you can bite. Because there are chances that you’ll do it badly, half-heartedly or not give it your all and you may not just end up with an unhappy client but it brings down your reputation as well.

3. When something is out of your area of expertise or aesthetics - While I’m all for the thrill and excitement of doing things out of your comfort zone, it’s important to draw a line.

When a client is counting on you for something, it’s crucial that you don’t underdeliver because you want to get all experiment-y about something that’s totally different from what you do. That can backfire sometimes in very ugly ways.

But of course, we grow through trial and error so it’s important to keep trying on new things and offer those services professionally when you start to feel confident about it.

Another thing to keep in mind is to not take on clients whose aesthetics are very different from what you specialize in because then you may not be able to cater to their needs.

Of course, there can be a lot more instances but these are the ones that occur more frequently.

Hope you find this helpful, be sure to share your client experiences in the comments and share it with your calligra-friends who may learn from it too! :)