Some people go into business under the misguided impression, that "all buyers" must be given whatever they ask for – no matter how unreasonable it is. This mindset ends up putting them at the mercy of most of the dients and customers they get. And they end up trapped in energy sapping relationships with exploitative or manipulative buyers.

In this post I suggest steps you can take to protect yourself from being shabbily treated and exploited by naughty clients that may sometimes come your way…

1. Present Yourself Right

Your dressing, composure and assertiveness will often determine how people respond to you. If you manage yourself well in those areas, you will gain credibility/respect before others. Who will believe in you if you cannot show that you believe in yourself? Don’t let anyone “pity” you or give you charity. Always keep your chin up, and be “proud” of yourself for having the guts to do something meaningful with your life.

Never let defeats, delays and temporary setbacks get you down. More often than not, they are simply channels for acquiring new insights about how to reach your goal.

You need to understand that “there is no such thing as an entrepreneur who failed but only one who gave up”. The foregoing means you can be confident that your success is “inevitable”. (Thanks to James Cook).

2. Show Enthusiasm – And Competence

“Without enthusiasm, one cannot be convincing. Moreover, enthusiasm is contagious and the person who has it, under control, is generally welcome in any group of people.” – Napoleon Hill

When you show that you are competent, and love what you do, progressive minded clients will often fall in love with you, and bring you back to do more work for them

Do NOT be like me, however. Keep in mind that you are in business to make not just money, but tangible profits. Be sure to request handsome fees commensurate with the value you plan to deliver.

In my startup years, I was so naive that I went around showing enthusiasm for my work, without thinking about getting profitably rewarded for doing it. That cost me a lot in my early years as an entrepreneur. Today, I’m much smarter – having learnt my lessons the hard way from life’s University of Hard Knocks.

3. Name Your Price and Stick With It

One of the annoying realisations I made very early on in my entrepreneurial adventure is that once you go O-Y-O (On Your Own) as an entrepreneur, some people who knew you before will immediately assume that you’ve dropped in “value” or “worth” – just like (as Kiyosaki said) the new car driven out of the car lot by its new owner.

This becomes obvious from the way they try to get you to do whatever it is you do, for them, for little or nothing. Their belief is that because you’ll be keen to quickly begin to earn some income, you’ll be unwilling to pass up such unattractive propositions, even when they annoy or irritate you.
Well,much as I knew I was going to pay the price each time this happened, I either simply ignored such people or told them what my fees were, and asked them to take it or leave it.

I once read an article titled “Name Your Price and Stick With It” in which the author advises any entrepreneur who provides service to set a profitable lower limit for his/her fees below which he would not take on a project. He added that if you do get asked by a client to lower your fees, after you have assured yourself that what you’ve proposed is the most appropriate for the job they want you to do, there’s only one thing to do.

Tell them to indicate which aspect of the job they would prefer NOT to have, so you can take that out and give them a lesser charge.

In other words, NEVER drop your fees without a reason.

Make it obvious to the prospective client, (and ensure he/she understands) that there cannot be a drop in your fees (below your set lower limit) without a corresponding drop in the scope of work you will do or the overall value they will get. When you do this, and stand your ground, they will actually come to respect you, and treat you accordingly.

If you don’t do this, your prospective clients will always push you around, waste your time, get you to do more without paying more and ultimately won’t see much reason to give you referrals to others.

If you want to successfully assert yourself in doing your business, you must be ready to refuse to be treated shabbily. It can happen once or twice, but you should also learn quickly!

On a final note, remember this:

The above ideas become even more relevant when you’re just starting up. The fact that you’re new does not mean you should present yourself as a lamb for slaughter.

More importantly, note that a prospect cannot tell that you’re experiencing slow business or cash flow shortage by looking at your face. Except you tell her, or you show up for a meeting with her looking – and acting – needy.

It is not a crime to have to build your wealth from the ground up. Others have done it before. You should be proud you have the opportunity to achieve a similar respectable outcome. There is therefore no reason to accept shabby treatment from those you want to buy from you!