Recently, I received some new tasks from, let's call her K, and K told me incredibly fast and with a high tone of voice, she needed it quickly. So at the end, and this is important, she mentioned: "And for that I will pay you", but this last phrase was launch with a lower tone, like: "I will pay you but to a lower price per hour because we know each other from a long time (you know what we are talking about)".
So, I said to myself: This must stop. I must see her as a real client and not as a long time not seen relative. I say this because I was raised close to many women and I have this high respect for them...but at the same time I know there might be many people who will take advantage of you just because you have shown kindness in the past. So, I must be firm and not be afraid to say: "Wait a minute, I am not going to do that, not under those terms".
Anyway, the thing is that I finally managed to do it today, and her reaction was kind of unpredictable for me. She said in a normal voice tone: Ok, fine. Let's do it your way.
I must confess that I was amazed by that response because I was expecting something like: "Ed, please I ran out of funds..." which it would be a total lie in her case. But no, it was easier than I thought. This lead me to improve my skills when talking to people about business, especially when I fell some tenderness towards them. It's always better to speak with the truth to your partners, only under those terms you can achieve a great deal for both parts, besides being a character-building activity.
