Rooted in Resilience: Overcoming Interiorscape Client Cancellations

Receiving a cancellation notice from a client is always a tough pill to swallow, but knowing that your service is being discontinued due to budget cuts is easier to handle—it’s less personal when the cause is beyond your control. Normally, the client will give a reason, such as “budget constraints,” or there will be obvious indicators. However, client cancellations become challenging when the explanation is vague, like “management wants to move in a different direction.” This can lead to a whirlwind of self-doubt and questions. Did the client dislike the plants? Was there a cheaper competitor? Perhaps a service technician made a mistake, or I said something inappropriate. Could it be that the building manager just didn’t like me?

When you know you have consistently delivered excellent service, maintained plants well, and made every effort to please the client, cancellations are extremely frustrating and confusing, and I often take it to heart. Let’s dive into how an invaluable lesson shaped my approach to navigating the world of client relationships and contract management.

A Personal Encounter With Unfair Practices

In the heart of downtown, I maintained the interiorscape and holiday decor for a large office building. Despite its financial struggles and a reduced budget, I continued to provide high-end foliage and annual decorations through changes in ownership. However, when the building sold for a third time, the new management decided to go in a different direction—replacing live foliage with artificial plants. The property manager asked for design proposals, but each time I sent one, she would ask for something different. A month later, I stopped by to follow up and found the lobby adorned with artificial plants, very similar to my last proposal but installed by another company.

The challenge continued with a request for modern, non-traditional Christmas décor. I worked hard to create unique concepts, but the project manager met each of my follow-ups with requests for more ideas. What do I see when I visit the lobby in December? Roughly twenty traditionally decorated artificial trees of various sizes. At that moment, I felt a surge of frustration and wished I could turn into the Grinch, remove every tree, load them up in my minivan, and throw them all off a cliff. I was baffled and disappointed.

Later, a chance encounter with the manager’s assistant, with whom I enjoyed a friendly rapport, revealed the truth—her boss had intentionally misguided me. The motive behind this was to discreetly favor a friend’s company for the building’s contracts without appearing to show favoritism. Even though she confirmed my suspicions, it was still a shocking insight into the undercurrents of business relationships.

Navigating Client Relationships

This experience was unique for me, as it marked the only time someone deliberately set me up to fail, resulting in the loss of a contract. But is favoritism a factor when it comes to winning or losing contracts? I can tell you from experience it definitely is, and I’ve seen both the favorable and unfavorable sides of it.

Property managers often move between buildings, and many times they favor vendors they know and trust. However, most are fair and retain the current interiorscape company as long as it meets standards. It’s when the quality of the service drops or there’s a lack of timely response to issues or requests that the property manager is more likely to seek a replacement. Strict quality control, prompt foliage replacement, and a quick reply to phone calls and emails help secure future business. Furthermore, building connections with the management staff and understanding their preferences is crucial in fostering a good working relationship. Taking time for casual conversations with various building staff, including security, administrators, and maintenance personnel, can provide valuable information about budget cuts, renovation plans, and new tenants.  

Moving Forward After Client Cancellations

If you find yourself wondering about the reasons behind client cancellations and you don’t have an inside source, reaching out via email to the appropriate contact can be insightful. Expresses your desire to enhance your service, and politely ask for their feedback on any shortcomings. Sending a brief exit survey with multiple-choice questions can also be effective. If you don’t receive a response or explanation, try not to dwell on it. Sometimes, cancellation may be due to factors completely beyond your control.