Camille D. Jamerson fired a client who delayed payment and disrespected her team's work. She learned five lessons: the customer isn't always right, never discount your price, stand by your quality, protect your team above any contract, and choose clients intentionally.
Chapters
Hey y'all, come on in here. Gotta tell you what had happened. I'm out here on my, um, back deck, so if you hear a lot of noise, I apologize. Um, but I, I, I need to tell y'all what had happened. And I haven't done a Mogul Minute in a while. I've really been spending a lot of time with Mogul Moments, which is full show. So I haven't, um, done this grab a minute thing with you guys in a minute, so I wanted to take the time to do that. And what better subject start off with, then I fired my client. Yup, I sure did. I fired them. If you didn't know that you could fire a client, then consider this your permission. Yes, you can. Yes, you can. So, um, I'm not going to go into the details of, of what had happened, um, and that didn't I didn't fire my client today, so if they're— because I, I do believe in protecting my clients' integrity even if they trifling. So, um, yeah, this is something I saved for a minute. Um, so if you're one of my clients now and you thinking it might be you, it's not. So, um, but yeah, I, I fired my client because I could tell that they were going to be more trouble than they are worth. And hear me clear, if you're in trouble, I'm the person to call. That's what I do. I am a crisis manager. Um, I am an actual C.E.M.®, Crisis Emergency Management®. I've got certifications from, um, the Federal Emergency Management Association. I— that's what I do. I manage crises. I'm, I'm okay with that. But when you're the problem, now we're talking about something different. It's not a problem, you're the problem. That is something totally different. And when I start seeing, um, things like, uh, the client doesn't want to do their part of the work that's necessary, or the client is all cool with what we're producing um, ecstatic about, um, the products that we're making on their behalf. Everything from the graphics that we're doing to the branding to the content, they all in. It's great. We are killing it. I love the way everything looks, and I've got text messages and emails, um, to back that up until they get the invoice that they act like they didn't know was coming. Then all of a sudden, you know what, you didn't do such and such and so-and-so, and you didn't— what we're not gonna do is nickel and dime Camille to death. We're not going to do that. I am a person that if we make an error, we, we will go out of our way to fix it. If we're not a good fit on a particular project, then we're not a good fit on a particular project. We still gonna keep the relationship and keep the party going. But what we're not going to do is nickel and dime Camille, um, when she knows, okay, um, that she's doing a good job for you, and now all of a sudden there's a problem. So after a round or two of that, and she— I mean, she put my staff through, um, and the— after a while it's just like, okay, I realized that if I do let this client go, I'm probably not going to see any more of my money that's owed me. Probably not. I've got a little bit of leverage, but whatever. But then when you weigh that up against the price for peace, there's no comparison. So I was willing to let the client go and move on up the King's Highway. And the lesson I want to share with you guys is, number one, do not fall into that, that, um, saying that, oh, the customer is always right, the client is always right. No, they're not. No, they're not. No, they're not. I don't care who said that. No, the customer is not always right, period. Now, do you want to go out of your way and give good service? Do you want to go over and above the call of duty sometimes to make sure you're delivering and give them more than they expected? And I'm here for all of that. CDJ and Associates, as well as the Camille D. Jamerson Company, does both. I have absolutely no problem with that, and it's something that I told this client, um, when I severed the relationship. It's like just so we're clear, I gave you over and above what I even charged you for because that's what we do. I don't have a problem with that. I don't have a problem with that at all. But do not believe for one minute that your customer is always correct in their assumptions about you, about your service, about what they want, about what they need, um, about what's fair. About what's balanced, they're not always right. They don't always know. And so you've got to decide for yourself, is the relationship worth keeping or is the price for your peace more valuable? And I made that call and I'm really glad that I did. You know you've made the right decision when you feel lighter afterwards. And so, yeah, so the lessons I learned: do not negotiate your value. Your price is your price. You said what you said. That's number one, because if I had said lower, I would have— I would be even further in the hole right now based on the work we did. So that's number one. The second thing is be able to stand by your work. If I didn't know that I knew that I knew that I knew that I knew that I did a good job for this client, then I would be feeling some kind of way right now, like, dang, maybe we should have, or perhaps I might have, or if I handled this differently, or we wouldn't be— nope. I know that I delivered for that client. I did that thing. Okay, whatever. I, I'm able to stand by that because I am the best at what I do. And you need to be that way about what you deliver. And if you can say that about your work and about your work ethic when it comes to making decisions like this, you can stand behind what you delivered. Okay, so that— that— those were the lessons I took away from that. Um, I don't feel bad. I don't feel bad. Um, I hope that they find somebody that can complete that project for them and, um, see them through to the finish line, but it's not going to be CDJ and Associates, and it's not going to be the— it's not going to be— it's not going to be us. It's not that we're above that, but it's that I value my team, I value my time, I value my gift, and I'm not gonna just put it anywhere. And I want each and every one of you, no matter what your gift, your talent, your ability is, I want you to feel that same way about what you bring to the table. So that means you need to level up what you deliver, then do that. If that means you need to make sure that, um, you are, are trained top-notch, that you have the information and, and the value that you need to bring to the table so you can be assured that you're the best at what you do, then do that. But when you know that and you, you, you're settled with that in your spirit, you're not going to just take any old thing. And so I am grateful on today that that burden is lifted. And, um, that money, um, was in my budget. I, I had accounted that, that contract was supposed to last through the fall, and so I had budgeted some things that we were going to do in the company with that money in mind. Um, not just that money, but that was a part of it. And it's okay, I'm gonna just cut something out and keep the party going, or, or the Lord sent me another client., but I'm not going to be in client relationships that could jeopardize my integrity. Ain't no money worth that. So, um, that's what, what being a business owner is all about. This is the part people usually don't tell you. That's what being a mogul is all about— building several businesses at the same time and really trying to establish an entrepreneurial legacy for yourself and for your children and your children's children. That's what it's all about. This is the hard part. Um, but I'm, I'm on today to show you that yep, it's hard, but you'll live. You'll be okay. You can do it. Um, make the hard call, make the hard decisions, level up, um, and not just what you do, but in the clients that you seek after. It's one of the things that I'm going to be doing. I'm going to be going after another level of client base, and I'm excited for the journey. Because I know that I can deliver. So here's your Mogul Maker signing off. Thank you so much for tuning in to this Mogul Minute. Y'all like my hat? It's gonna be available this summer, so if you want one, make sure you send me a message, let me know, just so I can know what the interest level is. But thanks for tuning in, and yup, I fired my client and I'm still a boss. Bye!
