One of the challenges you face as an entrepreneur (and it’s one everyone faces!) is how to move on when a client says no to your proposal, or decides to discontinue your working relationship.
I’m not talking about situations where you can address a concern, or modify a proposal to better meet your client’s needs. I’m talking about situations where you’ve done all you could, and the client still decides to move on.
Even when the client’s decision is made amicably and for sound business reasons, the breakup can be challenging.
From a purely practical standpoint, it’s clear. The client has made a decision, and you have to abide by it.
Of course, we are human, and every experience goes a lot deeper than the practical. We have feelings, and getting rejected is not an easy feeling to deal with.
On a deeper level, though, here’s what you can consider.
One of my mentors says, I don’t run after people. If I do and they return, they’re doing it for me and not for themselves. It doesn’t work.
Let them go.
One of those old sayings, if you love them, set them free, really does pertain to this situation. If you care about your clients, then you want them to have their own path.
The greatest care and respect you can offer another person is to allow them their own path, wherever it takes them.
The great thing about this approach to your clients and your business is that it keeps you in the flow of energy, the flow of new business coming in, without a lot of resisting.
That resisting energy is never limited to one thing. If you’re resisting one thing, you can bet that you’re resisting elsewhere too.
That blocks the flow of energy, of new clients and income, into your business.
Even if you’re convinced they’re making a mistake (and we can never know that for someone else), the greatest love and respect you can offer is to:
- know that this will happen in your business at times
- don’t spend your valuable energy trying to hang on
- have faith that if you’re making the value of what you offer clear through your marketing and other interactions, that more clients will come your way.
Dealing with departing clients isn’t always easy. But allowing the departure to unfold gracefully will serve you, your business, and all of your clients.
And that allows you to do the work you do in the best way.
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Have you had trouble letting go of a client? Share what you’ve struggled with, and what has worked for you!