Why You Shouldn't Always Accommodate Special Requests
By
Fabienne Fredrickson
Do you get clients who want a special price break, payment plan
or a smaller program than you currently offer? Some people ask you to make
exceptions and special arrangements for them to meet their needs. How should you
respond?
It might seem reasonable if one person makes a request of you. You can
accommodate one variation. No big deal right? Believe me I did this at the
beginning. The reason I'm able to have higher standards now is because I lived
through saying, "Yes, I'll give you a modified program or pay plan" and know the
downward spiral that can create.
Three things happen:
1) Exceptions Wreak Havoc. It's easy to handle a one-time bending of your rules,
but the more you say yes, the more you have to juggle. Additional variations of
your offerings are what I call "desperate programs." These variations are hard
to remember and become confusing. You might find yourself asking, "What did I
promise her? What did I say here?"
It's a kind of sabotage that takes up a lot of room in your day and brain. Doing
this to get clients creates stress and wreaks havoc on your team. They won't be
able to follow what you are doing when you have no standards. You may not have a
team now, but when you do, your team will struggle as a result of these
exceptions.
2) Referrals Ask for Modifications. The people who you negotiated with will
refer clients, who will also want to negotiate. Soon you won't have any standard
programs and tracking the programs you do have will become impossible.
3) Resentment Builds. About 12 years ago, I had a client who took me off guard
by offering me $1,000 for my $1,200 program. I was still building my nutrition
practice, so I took her offer. From that moment on I resented it and it became
very hard to handle. She was a lovely woman, but continued asking for
concessions until it became unbearable.
To be very transparent with you, I found myself holding back from her. She was
asking for way too much and didn't even pay the full price. This whole
transaction didn't bring out the best in me. That's one of the biggest reasons I
don't recommend making exceptions and accommodating special request.
The best course of action is to stay clean and stick to your planned programs.
Have standards and boundaries around what clients you want to work with. Choose
people who can afford you and those who will find a way to pay you.
Your Assignment:
Do you have specific programs defined? Do you stick to them or make tweaks based
on what clients ask for? The more you stick to your standard programs, the
easier managing your business will be. You'll never misquote a price again based
on some special deal you offered a couple of clients. Make your life easier and
avoid making exceptions to get clients.
Fabienne Fredrickson, The Client Attraction Mentor, is founder of the Client
Attraction System, the proven step-by-step program that shows you exactly how to
attract more clients, in record time... guaranteed. To get your F.R.E.E. Audio
CD by mail and receive her weekly marketing & success mindset articles on
attracting more high-paying clients and dramatically increasing your income,
visit http://attractclients.com
Article Source: Ezinearticles.com
Article Copyright © 2014 Fabienne Fredrickson; All Rights Reserved
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