Do You Say No?
I don’t know about you but my diary is looking slightly bonkers in the run up to Christmas. We’re going on holiday this year (there are strawberry dacquiris by the pool with my name on! 😎) which I’m really excited about. But it also means I’ve done a cracking job of creating hard deadlines for things that have absolutely got to be done before I go.
I don’t think you’ll be surprised to know that I’m NOT someone who takes my laptop on holiday. I’m forever nagging my clients about taking more breaks and recharging their batteries properly. I genuinely believe breaks are an essential part of business!
One of the secret perks of going on holiday is that it forces you to say no a lot more often than you normally would. And saying no is actually crucial to business growth.
Now you might be thinking that a lot of the gurus talk about saying yes to everything and then working out how to do it later. But that advice is often misconstrued. It’s easy to think that saying no means you’re narrow-minded, playing small, short-sighted or too scared to take a risk.
Because when it comes to interesting and unusual opportunities, a lot of people do say no too fast.
But when it comes to day-to-day decisions and evolving your business as you grow, most of you need to learn to say no a lot more often!
Your time, energy and focus are hugely valuable, and they all need to be protected. And that’s not what you do when you agree to take on clients that you know aren’t really a great fit (or that you just don’t really like and don’t feel inspired to work with!)
Your prices, your processes and your knowledge also deserve your protection. And you don’t protect them by saying yes to everything.
It’s all too easy to say yes to every request because you want to be helpful, or because you think that saying no would mean you have ideas above your station. But ‘no’ is often a much more strategic response. It’s what guarantees that you only work with the right customers to deliver the right service. And the people who don’t fit that mould can go elsewhere to find a service that matches much better with what they’re looking for. That way everybody wins.
That’s a much better outcome than spreading yourself too thinly, trying to be all things to all people and probably feeling like you’re not really doing any of it very well.
Saying no isn’t selfish, it’s actually in everybody’s best interests!
In this week’s tips video, I’ve shared several typical situations that you’re probably saying yes too often, so take 5 minutes to be inspired to say no more often!
And if this is something you know is a real soft spot for you, drop me a message and let’s talk about how I can help you.
