When to turn down projects

When and how you should turn down projects

  by Brent Galloway & filed under Client Advice, Freelancing.

 It seems this happens to me a lot.  Many times I find that I am working for client X with $N budget and client Y comes along to offer me a more suitable budget.  Brent Galloway explains the best way to think about giving up a job is to think of the better job that may come along.  By saying no to the job that you are taking just to make some extra money, you can simply open yourself up to more opportunities. Galloway also suggests that scenario where client Y does not come along. "But, what if client Y never comes along? What if you had turned down client X and then been without work for that week?"  Instead of thinking of the project that was lost, think of the time as time to invest in learning something new that may help you with future projects.  Learning to say no to projects can be hard but I think it is a lesson learned over time.  Being able to say no when the time is right is important because you could end up wasting time doing something that is not worthwhile in the long run.   Galloway says the best thing to remember when declining clients is, "Just because you’re declining the project, doesn’t mean you need to decline the relationship."  This is a great article that shows the advantages of turning down a client once in a while.