It’s you, it’s not me…the art of the business breakup.

We have all been in the situation where, despite every ounce of intuition, you spent too long courting a potential client or given too much effort trying to save a lost account. Most of us can point to instances where our hopes of what might be clouded our judgment of reality. Here’s some advice…are you
ready… go look in a mirror and tell yourself to “stop it”(not too loudly in case co-workers are around) then follow it up by telling yourself “I’m good enough, I’m smart enough…” you know the rest.

Unhealthy business relationships are the worst. You don’t have time for it , your company doesn’t have time for it, and rarely would the financial benefit equal the resources spent to keep the dying relationship on life support. Remember that time when you were in a relationship where you spent too much time trying to be what the other person, I mean business, wanted you to be? Have you ever cut your hair, got a piercing, and attended a Bieber concert just to keep somebody’s affection? (metaphorically speaking of course) Let me guess, it probably ended with you feeling soulless, and the other person, i mean business, feeling unfulfilled.

As a company you have to have confidence in who you are and where you’re going. If you have a clear strategy and vision, you can see what clients benefit you and which ones will distract you, make you listen to music you don’t like, and ultimately make living a sequestered life surrounded by 34 cats look like a viable option.

Let others’ bad experience benefit you here…there are key guidelines that can help you identify the real opportunities and weed out the flings.

First and absolutely most importantly, ask yourself “does the opportunity further your goals?” Every business needs cash flow to keep the lights on, after that, your business strategy should give you a great guideline for seeking after projects and clients. You can’t be everything to everyone and knowing where you want to go will help your business make sound decisions.

Secondly, does the client value your time as much as your service or product. As a business it can be hard to set boundaries. No matter how much fun it is to chat it up with your favorite client you need to stress that your time is an asset. This is even more vital when you have a clingy client who calls you every few minutes and “accidentally” leaves their toothbrush in your office.

Clients who are notoriously late to meetings, reschedule appointments, and miss deadlines clearly communicate that their time is more important than yours. There needs to be mutual respect. A client who does not value your time doesn’t value your business, and is not worth any amount of money.

Lastly, when it becomes apparent that a relationship has run it’s course, don’t drag it on while trying to figure out a nice way to let them down. Be gracious, up front, and then move on. Don’t spend time trying to find that one reason why it just might work this time, or that one tiny hope that would drag out a fruitless endeavor. Wish them luck knowing that there are plenty of fish in the sea.