Don’t be Afraid to Fire a Client.

🔥 Don't be afraid to fire a client. 🔥

Having worked with many different producers in my underwriting days, and along side many others when I became a producer myself, I've come to realize there are essentially 2 types of people:

Those who beg, gravel and devalue their worth to get/keep clients.

Those who knew their worth, bring their A-game, and aren't afraid to walk away.

I feel bad for the former bunch. Many of them are seasoned at their trade and just take beating after beating. Reducing commissions, remarketing every year, assuming clerical tasks that they shouldn't, the list goes on.

In my early days at the agency, I accompanied a more seasoned producer on a new account we decided to handle jointly. They were a pain, but not so much so that the revenue wasn't worth it...or so we thought.

Within just a few months it became clear we were wrong. They were bleeding us dry. Did not value us at all. Were abrasive, condescending. And we were effectively spending way more than we were making.

On top of that, they were incredibly rude and had our account manager in tears multiples times from nasty calls and emails.

I was new and wasn't sure how much we had to take.

The answer, I quickly learned, is:

How ever much you want to take.

One day my colleague/mentor said to me, "We are great, we don't need this shit". They're fired.

Fired, I thought? 😳

Just like that. She politely but firmly told them we were clearly not the right fit for one another and that we would be sending over a BOR for them to sign to return to their prior agent.

(That agent would of course cringe upon receipt of said BOR. 😂 And this was a great lesson of red flags to look for going forward.)

I was so impressed and inspired that day. I think back on this often.

Today, I am not afraid to say "no" to a new company interested in working together. If it's not the right fit, it's OK for me to be true to myself and say no.

I'm also not afraid to part ways with a client company who just isn't the right match for me.

👊 Know your worth.
👊 Know what you're all about.
👊 Trust that it's OK to say no when something just isn't the right fit.

I promise you, the time and energy you regain from the wrong ones you cut loose will be made up for tenfold when you find that next great one.

A few months back, I let go of a company because it just wasn't working. As the universe would have it, it made room for a new one I just brought on who is one of the most fun, refreshing, fantastic groups I could ever imagine working with.

See? It all works out. DON'T BE AFRAID TO FIRE A CLIENT.

Where are my Seinfeld die-hards at? This reminded me of "The Opposite" episode - "It all just evens out."