When a bad client just doesn’t go away you wonder is what you’re doing really worth this amount of hassle and frustration.
You think about your friends who aren’t entrepreneurs and you see how ideal working for someone else might be.
Set hours.
Set pay.
Weekends off, maybe.
Benefits.
Vacation.
Yeah one bad client can have a huge impact on your decision of furthering your entrepreneurial career.
But, working for someone else has its drawbacks too.
Namely freedom.
And that freedom is most likely why you decided to be an entrepreneur.
Freedom was the driving force in why I became an entrepreneur oh so long ago.
I wanted to call the shots, I wanted to be able to take time off when I wanted and schedule my time how I felt.
Well, in the last 20 plus years there have only been a handful of clients I truly regretted taking on.
And yes, they made me question why I do what I do.
Some of these bad apples truly tested my limits.
And sadly, some of these clients persisted in trying to make me look bad to others that knew me.
One ex-client tried for 4 years to discredit me. Seriously, who does that? I should have been the one to discredit them, considering they never paid me a dime. But that’s not who I am.
I learned a long time ago that people have their own agendas and some only want to hire “YES men”. Those people who only do what they are told and don’t question why. Yeah, that’s not me.
“What I do have are a very particular set of skills. Skills I have acquired over a very long career. Skills that make me a nightmare for people like them“
Yeah okay, that’s a quote from the movie TAKEN…but hey it works for this purpose.
You see, if you’re an entrepreneur like me, you’ve acquired skills too. Skills that make you unique. That make people take notice and want to hire you. Some of those people will be downright mean and nasty to you. They wont pay. And they will badmouth you to others. Let them.
The more you allow their negativity into your life, the more it will fester within you and the more you will want to go after them.
Don’t!
Yeah, the temptation to defend yourself against these wretched people will be overwhelming.
Fight it!
The moment you give in and allow a difficult client to dictate how things are to be done is the moment you lose. Don’t argue, don’t cause a scene and don’t panic. Just simply say… “I don’t feel we are a right fit for you at this present time.”
Then, let them go.
As an entrepreneur that freedom I spoke about earlier also allows you to pick and choose the clients you want to work with. And ultimately if you make a mistake in accepting them, that freedom allows you to fire them.
USE IT!
If you truly want to be an entrepreneur, and stay being an entrepreneur, then you need to learn the art of “not giving a f@&k”. And those that know me, know I don’t like to use the F-word. But when you allow a negative customer to dictate how you do things…you no longer are a highly skilled entrepreneur, you are someone’s drone to command.
Think about that.
Thanks for reading, now go off and be a better entrepreneur.
Rob is affectionately known as “Mr. Sarcasm” to his friends - to everyone else he’s a Certified Digital Marketing Strategist, a Foremost Expert On Specialized SEO, a Best Selling Author, Podcaster, Speaker and Authority Broadcaster who can help amplify YOU to your audience.
Rob has authored, coauthored or produced over 55 books covering social media, search engine optimization, podcasting, copywriting, personal injury law, weight loss, military law, life lessons, scams, sarcasm, customer service and more. His book clients include lawyers, speakers, doctors, real estate professionals and more.
Rob is also host of The E-Heroes Interview Series available on Apple, Amazon, Google Play, Stitcher, Spotify & many other podcast channels. Rob works inside corporations across the globe, helping companies generate new revenue and capture online business.
Rob is also available to share talks and give interviews. To learn more and to get started visit www.AnspachMedia.com or call Anspach Media at (412)267-7224 today.
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