Business posture means you decide who you want to work with. And who to reject. Not out of arrogance, but simply because you can’t add value and help them. We covered this in more depth in “Sticking to your knitting”.
Got some comments back affirming how this attitude has worked….
From Paul, “This strategy has been a big help to me. And I’m not only enjoying it, my clients love my honesty when I tell them “I can’t help them”. On top of that, the trust factor goes up to the next level. Furthermore they often come back at a later, because after dealing with “generalists” the service they can provide can never match ours as we are ‘specialists’”
Tim, a professional photographer said, “[….] Essentially, I am getting paid to do what I enjoy. And that attitude is evident in the images that I make and success of those images for the needs of my clients.
I feel that the consistent theme in my business has been remaining steadfast, true and transparent in my preferences, skills and deliverables. I turn down probably as much work as I take on when I feel that the expectations of the client are not consistent with mine.
Some would argue that this isn’t a great business plan, especially in a smaller market like Australia. However, my experience has been that I am better served in the longer term, pursuing what I prefer to do, not what my bank manager would prefer I do!”
Having said that, rejecting work isn’t easy, especially if you don’t have enough clients. It takes real courage and confidence to take a stand.
The freedom to choose who you want to work with comes from improving your lead generation and conversion systems resulting in more high quality clients.
<Hit Reply> and let us know your thoughts and experiences along these lines.