How would you feel if someone left an expletive-laden voicemail like the following?

"Heather, you %&#$*&@#$***. I am going to #@*&^%$ and #$%*&^% you..."

Believe it or not, this came from a client...

... Who thought he was calling a different Heather.

Although I had no idea he would do something like this, I had contemplated letting this client go for months because he was one of those clients. The type who:

• Expect you to be available at all hours.

• Treat everything like an emergency.

• Want you to jump, no matter what.

I had been putting up with it because the work was lucrative, the money was good, and he was a friend of a colleague.

The day after this happened, I got a lovely bouquet and a big-time apology. But that voicemail was my wake-up call.

I let him go.

And I learned something crucial:

Just because you can doesn’t mean you must.

Too often, lawyers take on work (and clients) simply because they can - without ever stopping to ask whether they want to.

Now it's your turn, Friend...

What have you taken on because you could (without asking whether you wanted to)?

XO,

Heather

P.S. This lesson was the impetus for today's Life & Law Podcast episode. Listen >>> here to learn when to fire a client (and why firing a client is a powerful - and underutilized - client management strategy).