I learned a valuable lesson in ‘never say never’ this week from my newest client. Never burn bridges & always leave on good terms because you never know when circumstances will change.
A few months ago, I received a call from a small business owner in the area. She was interested in redesigning her website and developing an email marketing program to keep her clients up to date. We sat down to talk, I drew up a proposal for the project and I gave her time to think about things. She was also meeting with another web designer in the area, but I felt that my quote was not only more than fair, it would beat my competition’s quote hands down.
After a few weeks went by, she called and said that while she was very impressed with what I had to offer her, and felt that my quote was very affordable – she was going to go in a different direction. It shocked me at the time, but I wished her an honest good luck in the future. I put my notes for her in the ‘no deal’ folder on my computer and didn’t think anything of it.
Four weeks later, my phone rings. “I’m baa-aack!”
Things had not gone to plan with her option #1. And option #2 was going to require 4 months (4 months!!) to complete the project. Neither of these were optimal for her situation, so I got the call back.
We met at her shop, discussed the plan of action for her project and now I have a new client.
What was it that made her call me back? I can’t say. Obviously her other two options didn’t pan out. But I’ll tell you this – if I would have told her that “She’d be sorry” or was rude to her on the phone for ‘stringing me along’ – I wouldn’t have got the second call.
So while I was very disappointed not to get the business in August – I’m more than ecstatic to get it in December. All because I didn’t pitch a fit when I didn’t get the initial yes.
Positivity > Negativity. Possibility > Burning a Bridge. Of course, if she would have said yes to my proposal in August, she’d already be enjoying the benefits of her new website and email marketing program. But the fact that she’s relying on me to get it done the right way means the world to me. I’m glad that I have built that level of trust with my clients. I don’t think every web designer (or business owner, for that matter) can always say that.