I always try to go above and beyond for my clients – but sometimes that’s not enough. Sometimes you come to a point in your client relationship, whether your fault, theirs or both, where you need to put on the breaks and just say no.
Saying no is a scary thing, because even as a professional, you feel the client is always right and has some magical power over you. You always want to please your client, because hey, they pay your bills, right?
But there’s a difference between professionally pleasing the client and letting the client walk all over you – or letting the project get out of control. It’s important to stop an out of control project before it starts encroaching on other clients’ projects. It’s not fair to the other clients that you’ve let this project overrun your life.
There’s nothing wrong with saying no. Saying “I’m sorry but I can’t do that”. Don’t ever be afraid to walk from a project if the client is being unprofessional, nor should you ever feel like they’ve got you in a chokehold to finish something. Demand your due payments if the client wants a week long project to expand to six months.
You’re a business and they need you. Be strong.