I've not been in the mood to write much lately. My mind has been on problems at the office. My return flights from my terribly short trip to Moscow had me worrying, thinking, and wishing that I could snap my fingers and go beyond the stress I've been feeling of late.
A client has gotten very unhappy with a staff member whose performance, despite my hopes and efforts to the contrary, has continued to deteriorate. This is the same staff member who suffered a serious medical problem late last year. The client board has reached its limits; so much so that there has been talk of terminating the contract. They have insisted that she go. So, I had to take action. I informed the staff member that I'm terminating her employment, but offered to give her a decent severance package if she will stay for a short while to help us with the transition to a new client manager. That's tough. If I were in her shoes, I would have turned it down, but she has agreed. Now, it's a matter of cajoling the client into staying.
Another client is squawking about how much they're paying and will visit me tomorrow (a Saturday, as usual) to talk. It's a small, annoying client, only a year plus into our agreement. I'm in no mood to be berated for charging too much by a client that's getting far more than it's paying for. If things get awkward, I am prepared to deliver a notice of termination to the client tomorrow, albeit it will not be something I want to do. But, life's too short.
Yet another client, a tiny little group that I've allowed to stay on out of sympathy, is just too much trouble, so I called the president of the organization today and left a message for her to call me. When she does, I'll inform her that I'm resigning the account.
Now that I read this, and posts I've made in the past, it looks like I am trying to deconstruct my business. That's not it at all. I am just having to come to grips with the fact that I have been insufficiently selective about the clients I have taken on. It's a danger, this dance I'm doing, but I have to face up to the fact that I've let things go on too long.
When all this is over, I'll be happier or bankrupt or both.
2 comments:
I think it is good and reasonable to take action that will make your life and business better. Sometimes it really is a wise decision to let some clients go, especially if they are a drain on time, energy, and resources, but give less in return. Good luck.
Thanks, Robin, I appreciate your words of encouragement. Fortunately, today, the client seems to have come around a bit. The next several months will tell the tale of whether they really listened to me today.
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