Have You Ever Fired a Client ?
Why did I fire a client this past week ? Or, in politically correct terms, I called and suggested we "part ways". I stated that I could not sell his property for the price that he wanted and his expectations were just way too high and unrealistic. And most important, it was not fair to my other clients that I was spending time on his project that will never sell unless he was willing to be much more reasonable. It was not worth my time and energy any more.
In business, it is important to make business decisions like these. They are not easy as it looks great to have a $750,000 
listing. I still had several months left on the listing contract. And the seller even reminded me of that. I told him I would rather just terminate it now and have us go our separate ways unless he was willing to be much more reasonable with counter-offers or change the listing price drastically. Looking back, perhaps I should not have taken the listing in the first place, as I knew it was a very high initial listing price, but I felt that the seller would be willing to come down after seeing some comparable sales along the way. I was wrong about that. Sometimes it is worth taking the chance.
I certainly do not have any bad feelings towards the seller. Heck, if someone else can sell this lot for 50 percent above market value, more power to them. What is most important here is the business decision. By clearing your book of "business" of these unsellable situations, you can focus on other clients and the properties that can sell as well as generating new business. In addition, these types of clients can drain your energy. So instead of being drained, why not be recharged with fresh new energy ? For example, as soon as I hung up the phone, I immediately felt greatly relieved as I realized I was done with this with no more time spent on offers hundreds of thousands of dollars apart.
I posted the question "Have you fired a client recently" on Facebook and received a number of responses, my favorite being from my friend Frankie, a business owner, who said
"I've fired many clients in my career. It has given my full book space after unloading some dead weight and bringing in some new fresh energy. It has created much needed time, space, and sanity for me to grow and stay at the top of my game. Proven technique for professionals who are on top and can afford to do it off course"
So it is your turn.
Have you ever fired a client ? What is your experience ?
Please share your thoughts in the comments below.
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