Know When to Say No

such a client? Know when to give up. All of these different scenarios boil down to the fact that you need to protect yourself as a contractor. You are here for the long haul. This is not a sprint. This means you don't need to cater to every need or whim of every customer. You must treat them with respect. Maya Angelou said it best. The person will forget what you said. A person will forget what you did, but they will never forget how you made them feel . So as long as you make the customer understand that they are important and make them feel significant, you will leave a very good impression of yourself. The easiest way to help an upset customer is to take a gentle approach. A little information goes a long way before the project begins . Simply set some guidelines so that the client understands what will happen and when , even before the work starts. Hey, we'll start getting permission around this time. We will begin shipping materials around this time. The equipment will arrive then. Here's what you can expect during your project. When you lay this out, it allows the client to share the vision of the project with you. And then—a gentle approach after the work is done . If you're proud of the work you've done, one of the easiest ways to stay in the client's memory and get a ton of referrals is to take some "before" and "after" photos, put them on a card, and send them around the holidays, perhaps on a Christmas card or something similar. Um, and what happens is: that "before" and " after" photo on the Christmas card ends up on their fridge . So when their friends, neighbors, or relatives come over, they can all see it. This is a proud moment that you share. And it's an easy way to constantly remind your best clients of yourself and continue to get referrals, instead of being "out of sight, out of mind." So I hope these tips helped you. Now it's your turn. If you had a problem customer, write about it in the comments below . I would love to hear your stories about failed clients, because some of what you share is just phenomenal. This video ends. Good luck, take action, and share your stories. Let's listen to them.