When your business is your primary source of income, every potential customer feels like a lifeline you can’t afford to let go. But when the customers do not respect you, when the customers do not care about your processes to deliver the job, and when the customers think they are always right and you are always wrong, the entire journey here will be at risk—especially on the quality of your deliverables.
You put those processes in place for a reason. One of them is to help your business run more smoothly without too much heavy effort on your end. If a customer can’t fit into that process, they aren’t your customer. This is the infrastructure that allows you to do your best work without constantly reinventing the wheel.
Here’s how to fix it.
It is okay to say no to these kinds of customers and walk away from the deals. Bending your processes for the wrong customer doesn’t just cost you that one engagement. It costs you capacity and bandwidth to serve your right customers well. It costs you the mental energy you need to run everything else. Yes, losing this customer will affect your revenue and income. But it’s temporary. Be patient and look for another customer. A good one. That’s who you’re building for.
