It’s that time of year when everyone is trying stuff one last push in to get those numbers they so hope to achieve. And it’s… overwhelming. Especially when it’s a last minute decision to go after those numbers and there’s no plan to do it. I’ve been in that situation with a client before, and I wish I had just said no.

Saying no to a client can be super scary and can make you feel like you’re about to be fired. But in so many cases it’s the right call. You have loads of experience you’re bringing to this client, and they’re paying you to share your expertise. They should listen when you say no to a bad call, even if they’re not happy about it.

So how do you do it? Especially if you’re a people pleaser like me? Let’s talk about it.

Technical reasons

I had a client that would bring ideas to me that consistently didn’t work on social media. Not because I didn’t think it would work with the audience. It just simply wasn’t a feature that social media had, even though they kept telling me it did.

To me, this is the easiest no. It’s not about anything other than technical details. That means I can show how it won’t work easily.

How do I say no to something like this? I start with a no and why. Then I transition to what will work. I find that finding something I can say yes to while I say no usually helps with that no. Is this a technique I’ve picked up from being a mom to a toddler? We’ll never know…

If a client still pushes that it is possible, I find a screenshot video showing how it just doesn’t work does the trick. If it doesn’t, then they’re not a good fit as a client for me. The only way a client relationship can be fruitful is if we respect each other, and a client that doesn’t believe me is not a client who respects me.

Best practices reasons

I had a client once who was determined to do an ad that I knew wouldn’t work. Their audience wasn’t on the network, and it wasn’t going to get us the kind of results the client was after. As I advised them against it, I realized that they were not willing to listen to me. So we agreed to a compromise: I’d run the ad they wanted as well as the ad that I thought was in their best interest. We would then look at the early results and put the rest of the budget in the ad that was doing the best. It was a gamble, but I won that battle. The other ad tanked while mine soared. The rest of the budget went into my ad.

This kind of thing happens all the time. I think you have to ask yourself a few questions instead of going for a flat no. First off, what kind of bad practice is this? Is it something that will be detrimental to your social media strategy? Or is it something that fans won’t really notice? Determining how bad this is can really help you clarify what to do next. And then ask how determined the client seems. If their heels are dug in and then there’s no going back, then you’re going to have give in a little bit.

Like previously, your best bet is to find something to say yes to while you’re saying no. That helps the client feel like you take them seriously as a valued partner. And that was a big part of the reason why I found a middle ground with the ad situation. The date could guide us to the right answer and the client would be more open to learning that way than listening to what I had to say on it. And in the future, this would likely help with similar situations.

But most cases are not this easy. Sometimes A/B tests aren’t an option, and sometimes testing a bad idea would be really detrimental to the brand. Your best bet here is to find a similar post on a social network and show how it tanked. And if they are determined that their post is different, then you have to let this one go. You can’t care so much that it is causing problems with your client. You have to be able to educate them and then let them do what they think is best. If the results come back in your favor, then that will hopefully strengthen your case next time.

Boundary reasons

I may seem a little iffy with my first two sections, because I don’t stand firm with my no when it comes to actual client work. Because mistakes are important learning moments, and ultimately, the work is not owned by me. It’s the client’s. They can do what they want.

But when it comes to something I own? I will stand firm all day. My clients buy some of my time, but not all of my time. And this is a big part of the reason why I put a schedule into my contract that says when I work and when they can expect replies to their messages. Are there times where those boundaries are broken? For emergencies, yes, I will break them.

There seems to be this trend among companies that if you do things at last minute or late, you can make it other people’s problem. I have a history of enabling that behavior. But the moment my daughter was born, I realized just how precious my time really was. And when a client is making me work during my off-times because of their lack of preparation? It’s going to be a hard no from me. Because the more I allow it, the more it will happen. And that’s going to take away a lot of my precious time with my daughter.

When do you say no to your clients?