Learning How to Say No
December 3, 2006
We’ve all suffered from this before: the inability to just say no. It happens in our professional lives and in our personal lives. Most times, this inability to use two letters from the standard alphabet causes unwanted stress, a to do list that is longer than the Great Wall of China and can eventually lead to *gasp* insanity!
Saying no can be easy when you know HOW to say no. Let’s look at a very common scenario that happens every day in the workplace:
A client e-mails you and says, “I’ve got a project I need you to do today, do you have time†and you have work piled up to your eyeballs.
What I would recommend doing is coming back to the client and saying, “I have a few other deadlines I need to meet for today. Although I do not have time in my schedule today, would you like me to put it into my schedule for tomorrow?†or, if you have a great resource that you pass work onto often, “Unfortunately I am booked solid today with clients but I do have a great resource that has some free time today – would you like me to pass on their information to you?â€
This way you are not cutting the client off completely but rather deflecting the work and making your time seem invaluable. You also sound like you’re booked solid and that is the right image you want to portray!
If you accept too many projects for fear of losing business, you run the risk of losing the business anyhow. Work that is done quickly is sloppy and will show through to your client and accepted work that is not done before the deadline shows ineffectiveness and bad work ethic. You want to be sure you can always present your best you to the client.
Don’t worry about turning a project away and losing a client. The client will appreciate you that much more for taking charge and finding an alternative than they would if you took the project and failed miserably at it.
Erin Blaskie is The VA Coach, a virtual assistant coach who assists individuals wanting to become a virtual assistant get their businesses launched successfully and efficiently. Erin is also the Owner of Business Services, ETC (A Virtual Assistance Company) that serves business owners around the world. You can visit her on the web at http://www.thevacoach.com or http://www.bsetc.ca.
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