I resigned a private client this week and told them I couldn’t work with them anymore.
If I’m really honest with you it feels good.
I’ve resigned clients before, back in the day when I used to work in agencies. We had corporate clients who were consistently pushing boundaries.
They were difficult to work with.
You know the type.
Demanding.
Bordering on unreasonable some of the time. Blaming the agency rather than taking responsibility themselves.
They’d ring at 4.30 on a Friday wanting something immediately when all I wanted to do was look forward to signing off at 5pm and enjoying my weekend after working late every night that week to meet their campaign deadlines.
It was the traditional client and supplier relationship so it was pretty straightforward to resign those clients.
The relationship was, at best, transactional.
But doing it for my own business was different.
It felt much more personal but, one of my core values is about respect.
If I look back to the early days of running my business I’d work with clients who weren’t really my total dreamies because I wanted the work. However, as my business has grown, so has my confidence to set out my own stall.
My confidence to be *really* clear on my boundaries.
Going back a few years I’d have never imagined telling a client that I didn’t want to work with them anymore.
If I’m really honest, the fact that I’d actively taken a decision to reduce the amount of money I was billing a month would have screwed with my head so instead I would justify a client not doing the work and not getting a result.
They’re busy with other things so can’t do the work or I’ll just hang on another 10 mins and they might show up on the call. Perhaps they need me to do some more handholding or help them do the work.
Sometimes I’d even question whether my programme was right!
The problems often start when you’re justifying their behaviour to yourself and you’re going too far, time and time again to help the client.
When you set boundaries with your clients, you create the headspace to do your best work because you’re not running around trying to please everyone. Remember, you have a duty and a priority to work on your own business and protect your own future!
Here’s my tips for setting boundaries.
- Manage their expectations.
Explain really clearly at the start of the relationship how to contact you, what they can expect of you and what you expect of them in terms of payment, communication and feedback. You can document this or cover it off as part of an onboarding call.
2. Remind them.
Life happens and sometimes things get in the way but be prepared to have the conversation more than once. Even if you’ve been super clear at the start of the relationship and with the best will in the world people forget.
3. Be prepared to stick by those boundaries
When you put boundaries in place you’ve got to be prepared to stick to them and don’t feel guilty for doing so! If you get annoyed that clients are contacting you at inappropriate times and you’ve set those boundaries clearly don’t feel guilty about not responding until you’re back in work mode.
I’ve come a long way on my own personal journey, addressing my own mindset, setting the boundaries in terms of how I work and making the decision to ONLY work with people I choose to work with.
I know that my coaching programmes works 100% of the time for the right person.
Time and time again, my clients see results far greater than the level of their investment during the programme but also for months and years to come.
The client I resigned was a gift…..a gift that gave me space to work with the next person who’s ready to stop playing small and start smashing their income goals, month after month.
Who do you need to set or re-establish boundaries with today?
