Welcome back to our weekly #TuesdayTip blog. This week I want to focus on one word, No. 2020 has arrived, your yearly goals and plans are set and you are looking to make the most impact with your business. We’re all looking to impact a few more lives, to work on more projects, and to make a few more dollars. We tend to look for all of the ways we can improve but one word many of us forget to use is, “NO.” Saying, “No,” is okay!
Saying No
Saying no is important for many reasons. First, you must take a holistic look at your life. What I mean is you must take a look at your personal, family, and work life all together. It’s a bit cliche but there are only 24 hours in a day and what we do must fit within those 24 hours. What are you already doing in your life? What commitments can you add or even remove? Are you currently busy? Do you need to increase your revenue? How many clients can you work with? How many are you working with?
When you are running your business there are three places we can all say no:
- Adding clients
- Adding services
- Outside influences
When you look at these three areas of your business and learn it is okay to say no, you will have more peace of mind.
No to More Clients
This might seem a bit counter-intuitive but there are times in work where you might need to say no to adding a client. In our experience there are two reasons a business owner might decide to decline working with a client. First, as we begin to talk with our potential clients and prospects we ask them a few key questions, one of which is: On a scale of 1-10 how ready are you to begin working on your book? For us, a client who scores lower is not someone we want to work with, at least not right now. We want people ready, excited, and able to work on their book right away. While planning is good, planning without an end date in sight is not how we operate.
Second, there are some times where a client has needs which differ from our regular offerings. We want to ensure we can do the best for our authors. There are authors who we have been in contact which we have decided not to work with because their needs are different from what we can offer. For example, it would not be beneficial for a young adult author to work with us as we do not follow the trends of that genre. Now, will we always say no to a young adult author? No, a company can change their offerings and expand their services.
No to More Services
Speaking of service offerings, it is okay to say no to more service offerings if you cannot provide the best service to your clients. Some businesses grow too quickly or spread their workforce too thin leading to their early demise. In fact, some of the most lasting companies focus on a few select services or products. There are many ways to add revenue to the business: you can bring in more clients or charge higher prices for your services. You do not have to add service offerings to add additional revenue. Remember: Take a look at your life in a holistic manner before you decide to add a new service offering for your clients.
No to Other Influences
Like I mentioned above, in order to best understand when to say “No” you must take a look at your life as a whole. One thing to look at is who do you have in your life? Are you working to really grow your business? If so, you may have to step back from some of your current social commitments. You might have to say No to going out to a movie or dinner until you have your project up and running.
Another place you might need to say no is when you are looking to hire a new employee or subcontractor. Take the time to interview your prospective new hire so you will know exactly what you will get from them. You might have to say no to one or three or ten or more prospective hires. Don’t hire someone just because you need a body. You can do more damage by bringing in the wrong person to fill your job opening. Make sure you can say no to outside influences.
Saying No When It Counts
Saying no is easy when you understand your mission and your vision. When you have a clear goal and a clear plan of attack, saying no comes easy. You will understand what will make the most sense for you and your business. Decision making and saying no comes easy when you understand your business and your life in a holistic manner.
If you are looking to gain more clarity into your vision for 2020, check out our Vision Board Workshop: #2020Success. In our workshop you will be able to clarify your 2020 vision for success and create a digital vision board to use as your background on your computer or to print out and hang in your office. Sign up for the event today!
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