Musings of a Florist :: visit flirty fleurs on Tuesdays and read a variety of musings by me – Alicia Schwede, editor of the blog.
I’ll be sharing some thoughts of what I’ve learned, what I would do differently, and what I’m thankful for on this flower filled journey I’ve been on since 1998.
It’s ok to say NO.
When we meet potential clients we want them to like us, like what we offer, and to hire us, right?
Unfortunately every once in awhile someone comes along and the magic isn’t there, or maybe that potential client was downright rude or condescending during the initial consultation. When I first started, when I was on my own and there was no social media (Facebook forums, etc), or other networks where I could ask my peers – is this normal? What should I do? Up until that point I was told a business owner takes all work that comes their way. I had always read articles that said to take all work and any work that came my way, to work hard (or even harder) to make a difficult client happy. After all- the customer is always right!
In my 18+ years with over 1,000 weddings I would say I had 3 difficult experiences. Truth by told, during the initial consultation with those brides/mobs I had my reservations, in the pit of my stomach I had a bad feeling. But I took the weddings and I worked SO hard to make them happy and guess what – in the end there was no making them happy. (I wasn’t the only vendor who got burned in all three situations) A few insults they said to me I will never be able to erase from my memory.
After the final meanie I realized I could turn down business and promised myself that I would say no if I was ever faced with another difficult personality. It was scary the first time I turned down a wedding… but the mom, oh she was so mean! After the consultation I called the planner and informed her I would not be submitting an estimate. I did hear through the grapevine that that particular mom went on to fire multiple vendors over the course of 6 months leading up to her son’s wedding and all I could think is how happy I was that I listened to my gut that time!
So … if at any point a potential client says something that is rude, condescending, or insulting towards you it is ok to turn down the event. Don’t feel guilty for saying no, setting boundaries is healthy for you and your business.