{"id":53858,"date":"2022-09-05T02:02:53","date_gmt":"2022-09-05T07:02:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fullfocus.co\/?p=53858"},"modified":"2022-10-03T13:34:43","modified_gmt":"2022-10-03T18:34:43","slug":"4-signs-its-time-to-fire-a-client","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fullfocus.co\/4-signs-its-time-to-fire-a-client\/","title":{"rendered":"4 Signs It\u2019s Time to Fire a Client"},"content":{"rendered":"

Firing a client is counterintuitive. Clients provide revenue for your business. Revenue keeps your company alive. Acquiring clients is often costly, and it takes time. So once you have a client, you should do everything you can to keep them. Right?<\/span><\/p>\n

Yes and no. It\u2019s true that keeping current clients is more cost-effective than bringing in new clients. In our <\/span>BusinessAccelerator\u00ae coaching program<\/span><\/a>, we devote an entire workshop to customer experience for that reason. Your business exists to add value. Consistently delivering or overdelivering on your promises is part of leading with integrity, and it\u2019s good for your bottom line.<\/span><\/p>\n

But sometimes clients aren\u2019t a good fit for your business. Sometimes they take more than they give. If you notice these four signs, it\u2019s probably time to let a client go.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sign 1: They don\u2019t respect your boundaries.<\/span><\/h4>\n

Constraints<\/span><\/a> are valuable. The ability to set boundaries is one of the most important personal and professional skills a leader can possess. Setting boundaries around your workday makes you more productive. And taking unplugged weekends and vacation time is essential to reset and increase your capacity for high-level vision work.<\/span><\/p>\n

If a client consistently reaches out to you, expecting a response after hours or while you\u2019re away, start by asking two questions. First, <\/span>have I clearly communicated my boundaries?<\/span><\/i> Your clients can\u2019t read your mind. If you don\u2019t communicate your boundaries, others will violate them. Second, <\/span>have I provided an alternate avenue?<\/span><\/i> Your clients have legitimate needs. Especially if you plan to be out of town for a week or more, it\u2019s essential to provide a clear route for clients to get help. Usually, this is as simple as directing them to a point person in your absence.<\/span><\/p>\n

But if one of your clients expects constant access to your time, your calendar, and your phone and ignores the boundaries you create, you have a problem. You can\u2019t share a healthy business relationship with someone who refuses to respect your boundaries.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sign 2: They haggle your prices.<\/span><\/h4>\n

Sometimes, your pricing might be off. Your clients\u2019 assessment of the value of your product might not align with your own. Maybe they feel you\u2019ve underdelivered on a promise. Or, your messaging might fail to point out why the product is worth it. In these cases, you\u2019ll likely receive pushback from multiple clients. And it\u2019s probably time to reassess.<\/span><\/p>\n

But there\u2019s another scenario. Some clients want to be the exception to every rule. If you release a new product, they demand a significant discount. If you increase your prices, they want to be \u201cgrandfathered in\u201d at their current price indefinitely. If one or two of your clients is unwilling to exchange money for goods and services, don\u2019t waste time persuading them to do business with you. If they won\u2019t, others will.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sign 3: They refuse to be pleased.<\/span><\/h4>\n

We love creating <\/span>Wow! <\/span><\/i>experiences<\/span><\/a> for our clients. We know our clients by name. We recognize key life events like birthdays and anniversaries. We pride ourselves on producing high-quality events and products. We believe in providing an exceptional customer experience.<\/span><\/p>\n

We also believe in <\/span>correcting our mistakes<\/span><\/a>. One of our core values is Unyielding Integrity, and it calls us to do the right thing even when it\u2019s embarrassing, expensive, and inconvenient. If we\u2019ve fallen short of our promise to a client, it\u2019s our responsibility to make it right. I believe the best leaders share both these values and therefore have the happiest clients.<\/span><\/p>\n

But there are people who love to complain. There are people who refuse to be pleased. The customer <\/span>isn\u2019t <\/span><\/i>always right. Sometimes, the customer is unreasonable. Unreasonable customers take time, money, and attention from reasonable customers. And the cost isn\u2019t worth it.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sign 4: They demoralize your team.<\/span><\/h4>\n

Your team is your company\u2019s most important resource. Your job as a leader is to <\/span>take care of your team<\/span><\/a> and empower them to take care of your clients.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

If your team frequently has problems with the same clients, believe them. Under no circumstances should you allow your clients to verbally abuse or attack the dignity of your team members. If you have to choose between keeping a client and protecting your team, choose your team every time.<\/span><\/p>\n

These days, I very rarely have to fire clients. I\u2019m grateful to coach some of the most driven, creative, and capable leaders I\u2019ve ever met in our BusinessAccelerator program. They keep me excited about my work and hopeful for our future together. And they have repeatedly found that the key to growing their business is cutting away what isn\u2019t working.<\/span><\/p>\n

I\u2019ve had clients fire their biggest clients and watch their revenue climb. I\u2019ve had clients discover that letting go of one problem client was the key to work-free weekends or vacations. And on the rare occasion when I\u2019ve had to let go of one of our clients, their peers have thanked me for improving their experience in the program.<\/span><\/p>\n

Firing clients is never comfortable. But it might be the breakthrough your business needs.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sometimes clients aren\u2019t a good fit for your business. If you notice these 4 signs, it\u2019s probably time to let a client go.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":53859,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1726,483,34,1727],"tags":[324,194,1525,597,33,38,1281,524],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n4 Signs It\u2019s Time to Fire a Client | Full Focus<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Sometimes clients aren\u2019t a good fit for your business. 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