{"id":13614,"date":"2018-04-26T08:00:35","date_gmt":"2018-04-26T15:00:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/honeybook.site.strattic.io\/?p=13614"},"modified":"2022-08-14T06:44:57","modified_gmt":"2022-08-14T13:44:57","slug":"how-to-say-no-to-a-less-than-ideal-client","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hbb.dev.reliablepenguin.com\/blog\/how-to-say-no-to-a-less-than-ideal-client","title":{"rendered":"How to Say \u201cNO\u201d to a Less-than-Ideal Client"},"content":{"rendered":"

You\u2019ve decided. You\u2019ve driven your stake in the ground. You\u2019re clear on what your ideal client wants from you, and you are ready to serve them.<\/p>\n

Forget the less-than-ideal clients! Sure, you could<\/em> help them, but that\u2019s not the goal anymore\u2014serving ideal clients is.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ve written your email sequence and built your funnels and begun nurturing those precious leads of yours.<\/p>\n

And then you get that email. Or worse, the phone call.<\/p>\n

A less-than-ideal client is on the other line, inquiring about your services.<\/strong><\/p>\n

See, they heard about you from one of your former clients. (Ugh\u2014that former client was definitely NOT an ideal client<\/a>. But they paid. . . ) And this potential less-than-ideal client has already heard so much about you. They\u2019re a pretty hot lead. And they need you, like, yesterday. (Note: All less-than-ideal clients needed you yesterday.)<\/p>\n

So, what do you do?<\/strong><\/p>\n

In short, you say no<\/em>.<\/p>\n

But it\u2019s not that simple, I know. You need to save face. You don\u2019t want to burn a bridge. You don\u2019t want to act \u201ctoo good\u201d for them.<\/p>\n

But you also need them to know you won\u2019t be serving them.<\/p>\n

And you need them to know what you do now so they\u2019re better informed and don\u2019t continue to spread your name around to other less-than-ideal clients.<\/p>\n

Phew.<\/p>\n

With all that considered, here\u2019s how I suggest you say \u201cNO\u201d:<\/h3>\n

1. Thank them for reaching out.<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Tell them that you\u2019re always happy to hear from new potential clients.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

2. Make it clear that you won\u2019t be serving them.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Don\u2019t lie, though, and blame it on your \u201cbusy schedule\u201d, or say that you\u2019re \u201call booked up\u201d. This sends the message that you\u2019re not taking any inquiries, when what you need to do is tell them you\u2019re not servicing their<\/em> inquiry.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

3. Say that you\u2019re happy to refer them to a fellow trusted professional if you can.<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n