It's OK To Turn Down Jobs - Knowing When To Say No
I was recently approached by someone that wanted to hire me for my photography services. Everything started out ok, you know the usual asking for pricing etc. I sent over my pricing sheet for a portrait shoot as requested and was immediately met with resistance. They started out saying the pricing was more than they wanted to pay and they could only squeeze a certain amount out of their budget.
I thought to myself, ok let me see what I can work out in order to help this person out. I have known the person for quite some time and decided I would do my best to be as accommodating as I possibly could. Without affecting my bottom line too much I would find a solution that would be mutually beneficial for us both.
Well much to my surprise, this person had a very different idea as to how things should be worked out, in fact quite a contrast from what I had in mind. I just couldn’t accommodate the request and feel morally right about the whole thing so I decided the best solution in this instance was to walk away from the entire situation.
I won’t need to go into details as to exactly what happened and the reasons as this is not the point, I just feel it is indeed ok to say NO to jobs and walk away. You have to go about it a certain way though. You could always offer up a reference for another photographer to do the job in the hope that you will be helpful with their need and you also potentially helped out another photographer. Always better to take the high road in these situations.
Not every client you come across will be “THE CLIENT” for you and your business. In the long run, distancing yourself from the torment of an unmanageable client far outweighs the monetary benefits of the job. Sometimes you just have to SAY NO!
Image courtesy of yugenlee.com