May 2012 - Issue 94 - www.clareevans.co.uk

Hello ,

Here in the UK, we've had a number of long weekends - with Easter, the Spring Bank Holiday and the Jubilee holiday coming up at the beginning of June.

How do you cope with all these shorter working weeks? Are you still trying to squeeze five days work into four or do you take them in your stride?  Why not drop me an email and let me know.

I'll be giving talks at several events this month. This week the Ladies Lunch Club in Eastbourne, next week the Society of Petroleum Engineers in London and the following week the Financial Services industry in Nottingham.

June is Birthday month, so look out for some very special offers. Keep an eye out on Facebook, Twitter and my Blog for details and of course I'll be announcing them in next month's newsletter.

Keep in touch and get extra tips from my blog - or Follow Me on Twitter - or contact me on Linked In or Facebook.

Clare

P.S. Feel free to pass this newsletter on to your friends and colleagues.  Thank you.

When you're running your own business you want all the clients and customers you can get, right?

It makes sense. You're in business to make money and by selling your products and services and having plenty of clients and customers you generate income.

Or does it. Sometimes you need to say no to new business. Not just because you're so busy you can't actually take on more business but because it's the wrong sort of business or it's not right for you.

This might sound like completely the wrong thing to do - after all, why would you turn down business? Well, for one thing it can have a serious impact on your business.

Let me show you what I mean:

Scenario 1:

One of my clients was delighted to be asked to do some additional work by an existing client. This project was within their area of expertise, but was for an industry they weren't familiar with but because it was their client who'd asked, they felt they couldn't refuse.

Subsequently, they spent several weeks learning about the industry, doing plenty of research before realizing they'd done all this extra work before getting to the stage of being able to charge.

Eventually, they had to go back to their client and admit that they couldn't do the work. Not only had they wasted their time, they'd wasted their client's time without being able to deliver anything and they could have damaged the relationship with the client.

Scenario 2:

I've also spoken to businesses who have ended up working with their 'less than ideal client' (to put it politely). The one's who call them up at all times of the day, night and at weekends with changes to make or new demands or expect them to drop everything or squeeze something in at the last minute.

By the time they finish working with them, they're exhausted, stressed out and their work and personal life had suffered.

Scenario 3:

A business takes on a piece of work or agrees to a project.  It's not a massive amount but they don't want to turn it down and can fit it in.

They then realise there's more to this than they first thought. They spend several hours working on the project but by the time it's complete their hourly rate is less than the minimum wage.

The last is quite a common one - you take on a piece of work, because it's money in the bank but at the end of the day you don't actually get much for the time and effort you've put in.

Yes, it's tough enough finding business and you don't want to turn it away but you need to know when to say 'no'.

Is the person or company a good fit for your business, is it core to what you do? Will you be able to do the best job for them or would you be better off passing them to someone more appropriatet.

It's not just about the money but everything else that comes with it.  So when you're thinking about the clients you work with, think about who your ideal clients are.

How good a fit are they for you and what boundaries do you need to put in place to protect your business and your relationship with them?

If you'd like to make sure you're using your time wisely and making the best choices - start by downloading the free Time Audit

Until next month.