I currently met a man that was my car sharing driver who asked if I did business card design and I said I did and that is something I could help with and gave him my card.
THEN we talked about his project and long story short this guy sounds like he has so many ideas of what he wants, has a super small budget and wants to do things his way and not by the streamlined process I have. Just a nightmare. Car ride ended, he has my card and called me to help.
While I realize now that I should not have said I could help before getting to know him more, I am still stuck wanting to run but I did say I could help. No money exchanged yet, no contracts signed or anything.
Exactly how do I tell him that I changed my mind? I can’t exactly say “This money isn’t worth my sanity”.
Thanks in advance!
Answer
It sounds like what you’re actually asking for is how to say “No”.
I understand that you don’t want to sound like you’re bailing on him, but that honestly shouldn’t be your main concern. If you feel like it would be a nightmare client, don’t start the work and just politely say that you’ve changed your mind and that you don’t think you guys would be a right fit for the project. You can explain to him that the thorough design process he requires is not how you work and that your fees aren’t setup for that kind of work. You can recommend him someone who you think might be able to handle him better, I’m sure he’ll appreciate.
Attribution
Source : Link , Question Author : Jennifer Clements , Answer Author : Benjamin Smith