Should we decline this request????

I would like comment on a topic following a post I  recently read in a facebook group I am member of.  It was related to wether we should decline business in these special times, or should we be selective and attach to our core values.

In my opinion, we should not always say yes to clients or future clients if that puts our business at risk or we do not consider ourselves the suitable partners for the request.

Unfortunately, in sales and marketing  we are always taught that the client is king  and we are not taught to say NO, especially in times of struggle as we are now.

And it’s not that we don’t need the income or the client. Well, we are convinced that 20% of the customers do 80% of the business, but it’s the other 80% from the clientele who brings you the most headaches….and many times you can see challenging clients coming from kilometers away and you can avoid them.

Sometimes clients request outrageous reductions in price and/or overly bended cancellation conditions because „business is slow“, or they have lost a lot of money in these months.  Well, fact is that everyone involved in the hospitality business has been strongly affected in a similar hard way. 

Here are examples of 3 occasions when we would say NO to a client:

1) Conflicting customer

2) Client with budget 0

3) Client whose demand does not conform to what we can offer professionally

Not all projects are suitable for your business and sometimes declining a project can even save you money. 

Follow your gut, evaluate pros and cons and most importantly, be aware your risks! 

Your additional value as a supplier (we are all suppliers of someone) should rely on your expertise, flexibility and relationships.  We are all in this for the business and you should never put your company, image or reputation at risk!

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