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Tweetables:
It won’t be your best work if you agree to something you don’t like doing. #vatip 
Gotta Tweet!
Always be true to yourself and true to your business. #vatipGotta Tweet!
Don’t be apologetic about it if you don’t provide a particular service. #vatip Gotta Tweet!
In Words:
Now, when I’m referring to something that a client asks you to do that’s outside of your comfort zone, I’m not talking about something that’s outside of your moral code and ethics. I’m talking about a service that you don’t like doing and haven’t offered it.
If you get a client, especially from Elance, you may be hired as a general virtual assistant to where you’re doing a variety of tasks, depending on the day, depending on the week, and that’s fine. But this is how things could easily come up that are outside of your regular service offerings that are on your website. It can be difficult to say no sometimes. You may be afraid of what the response is going to be.
But what is the result for you if agree to something that you really don’t enjoy doing?
Most likely what will happen is you will put off the task until the very last minute. You will hate every second of it and kick yourself the entire time. It won’t be your best work because it’s not you. It doesn’t matter what it is, whether it’s calling someone, checking on prices, making travel arrangements, whether it’s doing web research or transcription, or anything that is not something that you’re comfortable with.
Sure, we can think of what the response would be in an extreme situation like if a client asked you to overhaul their entire website and you’re like a tech newbie and that’s totally not what you do, you would immediately let them know. But in a situation where you could do it but you would hate every second, that may be where it becomes difficult to say “no.”
What’s the right way to say “no” in that instance? Let your client know this is not a service that I offer, and then be clear on what you do offer in case they aren’t sure, or you know, it wasn’t made clear.
You want to always be honest with your client because you want to always be able to give your best.
If you know they are asking you to do something that means you won’t be able to give your best, let them know up front, and don’t feel guilty about it. The worst thing that could happen is that you say “yes” to this thing and you suck at it and you do it and the client’s not happy and so they need you to do it again or revise it and now you’re in this endless loop, stuck in doing a task you don’t enjoy.
The best thing to do is not get into that situation. Be clear up front what you provide. As time goes on, you may have to remind them because they’ve gotten used to you doing all the other great things that you do. That’s okay, if you have to remind them, that’s fine.
The main thing is to always be true to yourself, true to your business, and true to what you offer.
Don’t try to be like anybody else. Don’t be apologetic about it. There’s nothing to apologize for. If you walk into Walmart, you cannot order food from Chipotle. Why? Because Chipotle is not there, it’s not inside of Walmart. If you go to Target and you’re looking for Dunkin’ Donuts coffee, it’s not there. Why? Because Dunkin’ is not inside of Target.
Now, if you wanted Starbucks coffee, Starbucks is inside of Target. But Dunkin’ is not, and they wouldn’t feel guilty about telling you it’s not there. So why should you feel guilty about a service that you don’t provide? You shouldn’t.
Be true to you and your clients will be very happy you did.
Thanks so much for tuning in. If you like what you heard, stay tuned. We’ll be back. Tell me what’s going on with you. Come on over the Facebook page: facebook.com/tiffanyparsonbiz, or if you prefer a little shorter message, come on over to Twitter: @tiffanydparson.
See you next time.
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