• What We Believe
  • Speaking
  • Products
  • Testimonials
  • Blog
  • Contact

I Fired A Client Today and You Probably Should Too

By Cheryl Bailey 1 Comment

i fired a client today

Fire a Client!

Yep, I fired a client this morning. Here’s why – A long distance couple attempted to hire us for wedding coordination. We exchanged several emails, had phone meetings, and finally, a visit with a family member (just so they could be sure). I finally received “the email” – the one that says we’re ready to hire you now and we dropped a check in the mail – except there’s a catch! “We’ve reviewed your contract and there are several (over 20) changes we’d like to make before we send you the deposit. Please review the changes we’ve made to the contract, sign, and return to us”, read the email. So I read, and laughed! There were changes that were absolute non negotiable for us.
 
It was clear from the changes they requested that they thought we were in the “playing wedding” business and not running an actual business. There was even an adjustment to make our fees fully refundable if for any reason they cancelled their wedding date, up to the actual wedding date! I won’t go much more into the specific changes that were being requested, but I will say that they would illicit laughter from the audience.
 
This couple was clearly not our ideal client, and it was obvious from our first conversation with them. They wanted a day of coordinator but they really needed a full service planner. Their wedding details were mind boggling. They lived in another state and were not planning on making any site visits prior to showing up the day before the wedding. All told, they were requesting a level of service that they weren’t willing to pay for. And we’re not willing to compromise on our level of service. It’s what sets us apart from the herd and why we are able to charge the rates we do.
 
fire that client But, like many of you out there, I sometimes fall back into old habits and try to make the wrong client the right client. And this was the wrong client for us. So, I had to slap my own hand, tell the couple that I would no longer accept them as a client at their current level of requested service (and why), send their check back to them, and move on. It hurt. I wanted their business. Their wedding sounded great. It would have been beautiful – but make no mistake, it would have been the wrong choice for our business! Our service level would have suffered and our staff would have become frustrated with the handicap that they would have been working with. The client would have been none the wiser, but our business would have suffered for it.
 
Are you taking the wrong clients for your business? Do you even know what the right client looks like? If you don’t know the answer to these questions, I would suggest that you stop what you’re doing right now – not later – and figure out the answer. This is not a time to make a list of current clients! This is a time to put pencil to paper and write down a short list of what your ideal client looks like. What are their hobbies? What do they do for a living? Where do they live? Don’t be afraid to get really specific, like what church they go to, or what day care they send their kids to. Now, compare your ideal client list to your actual client list. If it doesn’t match, you have a problem.
 
Stuck? Can’t quite figure out who you’re ideal client is? Wedding Industry Rescue provides one on one and group coaching for businesses just like yours. Contact us today

Related Posts

  • How Much Should I Charge?

    The question, "How much should I charge?" is one of the most frequent questions that…

  • Are You In Need Of A Wedding Business Rescue?

    I'll be the first to admit that we are addicted to the new show Bar…

  • Are You A Wedding Professional? Or Are You Just Playing Wedding?

    Are you a real wedding professional? Or are you just playing wedding with your wedding…

Filed Under: Business Coaching Tagged With: Book that Bride, Cheryl Bailey, Coaching, Consulting, fire a client, playing business, Wedding and Event Professionals

About Cheryl Bailey

Cheryl Bailey, Wedding Industry Rescue + Yellow Umbrella Events.
Her Bio – Not necessarily listed in order of importance and not necessarily applicable (to anything at all) *Founder of this crazy beautiful company, Wedding Industry Rescue *Worked as a tree trimmer as a child – chainsaw and all (wait, what?) *Successfully built more than a couple wedding/event related businesses to over $100K in less than a year, so she kind of knows what the hell she’s talking about – so you should listen to her – and do what she says *Still planning events for really cool people all over this country *Just bought her first pair of skinny jeans (after making fun of everyone that wears them for the last year) *Runs her mouth for a living – it’s true. She’ll come talk to you too – but you have to pay her :)

Trackbacks

  1. The 7 Steps I Learned To Correct A Mistake While Being Shunned By My Wife For The Weekend! | Wedding Industry Rescue says:
    February 3, 2013 at 8:30 pm

    […] 5.    Fix It! – The only way we move forward in life is through action.  Now take it!  And as swiftly as possible.   Most everyone can accept you made a mistake as long as you admit it and try to fix it.  If they can’t accept it then you can decide if they are the right client for you. […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Copyright © 2023 | All Rights Reserved | Privacy Policy       Terms & Conditions | Site Map | Designed by Grit & Wit


Follow Us on Facebook