I hate losing a client.
Sometimes.
In the teeth of a recession, it’s easy to take on every potential new client that comes along. After all, you never know how long you’ll wait until the next one! (Reminds me of that thing that my grandmother, who lived through the Nazi occupation of Jersey, used to say about meals…)
But not all clients are equal. Unless you really want to try and be all things to all people (hint - you’ll probably fail) there are going to be some clients that suit you better than others.
This is at the heart of great marketing in a service business - know what you want to be and who you want to serve, and stick to your guns.
Often, when you divert from your target client strategy, something will go wrong. Last week, that happened for us. It’s easy to blame the client when that happens, but it’s more intelligent to look at yourself and ask if you failed. If you did fail, learn and move on. If you didn’t - and you really should know the answer to this! - then you probably took on the wrong new client.
They, and you, will be better off in the arms of others.