Why You Should Learn To Say ‘NO’ More Often In Business
Good things happen when ‘yes’ becomes ‘no’ in business. Learn how to say ‘no’ to clients and win more business.
Photo of me wondering through the Timna Park in Israel.
I was a yes man.
It took me to the wrong places, with the wrong people. And away from who I am.
Why?
Because I let the fear of ‘rejection’ stop me from being myself.
But not anymore.
Now, ‘rejection’ fears me.
Don't make the same mistake...
Don’t feel compelled to say ‘yes’ to every request.
Get comfortable with saying ‘no’.
Don’t feel guilty for saying ‘no’.
It doesn’t mean you’re a bad person.
It implies you’ve established rules for yourself.
That you know your values.
That you know your time is precious.
It suggests opinion, conviction, and personality.
It also signals to people around you that you know who you are and how you want to conduct business.
And who you don’t want to be[come], as a brand and as a business.
And that’s powerful.
Learning to say ‘NO’ more often is the most effective way to accomplish your business goals.
It’s an important element of the minimalist philosophy that can help you achieve more by doing less.
Both in life and business.
YES to that!
Check out the article I wrote on minimalism that touches briefly on the topic of learning to say 'no' more often and the benefits that come with it, even in business.
How to say ‘NO’ to clients and win more business.
It's hard to say no to a client. A simple request can start a chain reaction. Next thing you know, you sidetrack on a job, bleed money, and feel bitter about the client.
Here are five ways to say no that pay off.
Can we see a pass before we hire you?
I need a deposit to give this my best shot for you.
Can you do this for free?
You will see a return on your investment.
Can you do this for less?
If the budget is of concern, we can start with the amount you have in mind and retrofit a deliverable that makes sense for that number.
Can we add this small deliverable?
Absolutely. I will add the extra hours to my final invoice.
Can we get unlimited revisions?
No problem! My quote includes three rounds of revisions. After that, we can switch to hourly billing and have as many as you want.
Bastien Frediani
LinkedIn: in/creativebrandstrategist
Email: strategy@thinkbastien.com
Bastien Frediani is the founder and strategist of ThinkBastien, a strategy studio that helps bridge the gap between vision and audience.