We’ve all had or will have a client at some point in our careers that simply doesn’t perform for you. They might be overly needy or their personality plain doesn’t mesh well with your own.
But they are your bread and butter. They’re your bed partners as well. They’re your source of income so they can’t simply be shrugged off and ignored. They either have to be worked with or dropped by the wayside.
Rather than struggling through an unworkable situation, the better option is almost always to drop or break-up with them. This post is going to define the description for that client so we can better be prepared for these circumstances.
- Endless changes. Unless you’re working on a high hourly rate, it’s not worth it to provide for a client’s unnecessary whims. They may state that they absolutely need something changed, but in reality it’s a very minor aspect of the project, if at all meaningful, and it’s better left out. The secondary option to simply getting rid of this client is raising your rates. In that effect, it forces the client to either be more selective in their needs or drop the obviously unnecessary ones.
- Micromanagement. This will usually come from someone that you’re receiving outsourced work from. They know code, design, copy writing, fill-in-the-blank. They also feel as if they need to watch over your every move and monitor your job to the point where you can’t get anything done. It’s annoying and unproductive, but because they’re not the ones getting the work done they feel like they need to hold your hand in order for it to be completed.
- Distrust. If your client can’t trust you, well, you have some problems! But if you are trustworthy and it’s out of your hands, it’s definitely a good reason to drop them. This may come in the form of them double-checking all your work or requiring regular check-ins during the day to ensure you are on schedule. Not only does distrust wastes both your and your client’s time, but it betrays the reason you’re a freelancer. You’re not freelancing so you can have a new boss managing your time. That’s why we left that office job.
- Disorganization. This is more than the client simply not knowing what he needs as far as your project is concerned. They and their business are disorganized and/or dysfunctional. This spells bigger trouble for you because if their business can’t function in it’s own regard, it’s going to be even worse when they try to work with you.
- Negotiation. It’s perfectly alright to negotiate with a seasoned client that you’ve worked with. They deserve some amount of discount having worked with you this long. The problem comes with the new clients that want something for nothing. They often think that the work we do is of little value because they generally won’t see all the work that is put in behind the scenes. Get rid of new clients that want to negotiate. All they’re doing is wasting your time.
- “Well this guy says he can…” This client can’t tell the difference between someone that has been working in the field for 1 month compared to 10 years. They’ll often seek out quotes from others, many being freelancers of “lesser quality”, who they will compare to you. They’re not worth the time or effort to explain to them their mistake. It’s something they have to learn the first time by going with the cheaper guy. Inevitably, they will get what they pay for, crap, and come back to you having realized their mistake.
- Too many chiefs. And not enough Indians. You shouldn’t have to work with more than one person in their organization in order to complete your work. That is your main person. If you’re receiving direction from multiple sources, there will be data overlap and misdirection rampant.
- Attitude. You’re in for hell if you’re getting attitude from a client. You know what you can weather so decide this for yourself. This is a professional relationship and if you’re getting lip from the other end, that’s not good.
- Deconstructive criticism. Anger and yelling will get the project moving nowhere. A lot of people manage others through fear and/or anger. As a freelancer, that’s not going to work because we work on our own time and bill.
- Contrary to popular belief, they aren’t always right. That’s one of the more difficult things the deal with. In reality, they can often be wrong. They hired you for a reason: you are the expert. Not them. Take command of your job, and if they still don’t like it: get rid of them.
- No payment. This might be a nobrainer. If they’re not paying you, stop doing work for them. A half-finished project isn’t going to do them nearly as much good as a fully finished one that you keep working on in “hopes” of getting paid. To avoid this situation to begin with, ask for a down payment. It weeds out these type of clients.
- God syndrome. Plain and simple. They are full of themselves and think everyone and their mom lives to serve them. Your mom needn’t be baking cookies to sedate him while you finish his website. Kick him on the street before he saps the last of your life away.
If you have any reasons to kick a client by the wayside or examples of particularly socially untrained clients, post them in the comments!