HOW TO SAY BIG NO TO SOME BUSINESS CONTRACTS IN NIGERIA

One of the greatest things I’ve discovered over this years is how to say a big No.

It sounds simple enough Right?, but based on some of the response
I have received in my business so far, I think it might be a difficult issue that a lot of photographers are facing. I thought I should share some of my own experiences saying no might help some photographers in similar situations.
 

1.    Be Professional
2.    Be Polite

Actually the beauty of this is that you are free to take any exception that you like – just make sure it is the exception and not just the rule.

Hopefully the next moment  something enters  your inbox that does not please you, you will remember that  you always have a good option of saying no.  This  will make for a happier and a stress-free business.

The Big No

I made this decision at the beginning of the year to move away from modeling photography and in 2013 I’ll no longer be photographing model pictures. From the start of my photography careers modeling have been my focus, so this was indeed a big deal.

However the thinking was simple enough: I was tired of shooting them. This might sound improper at first. After all, I am a photographers! It’s a job that most photographers  would love to do.

The truth is that if you don’t really love what you are doing, then, what is the point doing it? Without that zeal driving you, you will not ever be able to get up to your full potential. We are thrilled with the weddings event we get to shoot this year; after that we will move on.

You may think that saying no to your clients would be hard. You may be right. But it’s less than dealing with the knowledge that I would have spent  another year doing work that I don’t totally love.

When deciding on how to spend such part of your life, choose wisely. Don’t be afraid to end something that others expect from you. Always try to make yourself  happy, and you will also make your clients happy as well.

Other Places To Say A Big No  

Miscellaneous work

If you’re just beginning, shooting a variety of jobs is essential. It helps get you more experience in different situations so you can determine your strengths and your weaknesses.

But if you are an experienced professional photographer then there’s no need trying shooting every single  job that comes in your way. Be specialized on one type of work: weddings, events, portraits, commercial, landscape, sports,– don’t try to do them all!

While doing these you will develop a strong skill set by focusing on one thing.

Client requests

This is another part that is hard to say no no to when you are first started. A client will like to ask that you do some productions more than what was the initial agreement.

My knee jerk reaction was I just have to do it, in fear that if i said no, or asked for my payment, they may be upset. One tough things for new photographers to do is really value their talent and time.

You don’t even need  to say no here, but you should have a  worth that fairly takes into account the time and energy you will need to spend.

Discounts

You may understand that people you know (friends of friends of friends) start contacting you for photography business , and they want a 100% discount hahaha.

When I start out this was a very big problem for me – mainly because I didn’t realize the value of my skills (I’m sure of many photographers). The point is that the discount issue can be a difficult one to go out of. It seems gentle enough at first; do a good session for free or at a discounted amount to get experience, sequel to this, their friends will want the same deal, and eventually for free or discounted work out numbers your paid work.