Question:

I hear you Terri, I do not want to work on Saturday. That is my day to spend with my kids.

How do I let a client know that I am not going to work on Saturdays anymore? Do I have to wait until she asks me and then be ready to say no?

Answer:

Yes, having your speech ready to go on how you no longer work on Saturday, but you can see her on Tuesday morning at 7:30 or on Wednesday at at 4:00pm, would be a good thing to practice aloud. You want to be prepared, cool and calm when the challenge comes up.

With new clients, the very best thing is to spend some time pre-framing.

Explain to your new client exactly how the process will work. Be clear about when you will be meeting and what will happen and what decisions will need to be made. Take the time to be clear about when they will need money for payments and deposits.

If you can give them a meeting schedule, or set an every week on Thursday afternoon at 3:00 appointments they feel assured that the job will be completed in a timely manner. They are also more aware that their decisions will need to be made accordingly.
One of my coaches said to me, “an ounce of pre-framing is worth a pound of re-framing.” She is right.