Losing Balloon Jobs to Competition
Today’s post is shared with permission from David Mahoney, Owner/CEO of Balloons Everyday, Carroliton, TX (near Dallas) Tips #100 for Newbies – I am the biggest loser I have lost 27 jobs this month so far to competition, high prices, small budgets and other things. I am not talking about situations were someone just called for info (oh no, then my numbers would be even bigger). I am talking about 27 people that we got all the info about – when, where, what time, what do they want, how much, etc… I am talking about people that we were only waiting for payment or already got payment and they canceled after the fact. There are all kinds of reasons, but to be honest, they are the same reasons that most of us already hear everyday… The client found a better price, decided to go another direction, budget cut, zombie apocalypse, etc… LOL!!! There is always a reason, but none of that matters because unless I want to give balloons for free, losing out on jobs in inevitable. The important part is knowing that my pricing is right, I am profitable and that I have the ability to keep looking for more clients that will value my service and will pay me what I need to stay in business. I know I have to fail and lose a lot to be successful. How do I know this, because I have never heard one success story without also hearing about the struggle they went through to be successful. Story after story of how successful people went through unbelievable losses and hardship before becoming successful. Even once they were successful, that didn’t stop the losses or failures. Failure is just part of life, regardless. Ultimately in all those situations, it is what the person of success did after each and every failure… They kept going after their dream, they did not let obstacles stop them and they did not let excuses hold them back. Successful people keep improving after failure. They learn from losing and how to avoid it. They realize it is up to them to overcome. No one makes every shot, hits every ball, lands it perfectly every time. This is another fact proven again and again in stories of great athletes, people of power, success stories. If you want to succeed, you have to get back up and try again, practice more, study harder, overcome, etc… The more we try the closer success will come. The more you do, the more chances you will have to succeed. Embrace the losses and use them to grow and become better. The more losses you have today, the less you will have later on. So go out and be the best loser you can be. I know I am. I wish everyone a Balloon-tastic Week!
THANK YOU David Mahoney for sharing your insights with the industry, here are a few of my thoughts… One of the challenges I gave out to members of our Passport to Success Program (monthly webinar) is to track their NO’S. I think too many times we FEAR being told no. I have seen time and time again through my coaching clients and Passport to Success members that FEAR often stops people dead in their tracks and keeps them from moving forward and growing. I gave the “no” challenge and stated that the more no’s you get the closer you are to getting a YES! Set your pricing for profit, not just for everyone to say YES. Become OK with No’s, understanding it puts you that much closer to a YES! 
I find that many of us in the Balloon Industry are people pleasers. We like to be helpful and make people feel good. When someone says NO to our prices, we often we take it as a personal thing, rather than a business decision. NOT everyone can be our client… if they all said yes our prices would be too low! Fear of failure can paralyze you as an entrepreneur and I see it almost every day. I believe many of us have a FEAR of rejection, and a client saying no turns into a hit in our confidence rather than igniting a fire to rise up. I have seen it paralyze people where they stop taking action, as they can’t handle the thought of hearing NO. If you would like some tips on increasing your confidence check out this blog and replay of a free webinar. Confidence and communication, grow your balloon business. Your Partner in Success, Joette Giardina, CBA Mentor. Motivator. Speaker. 