Firing your client
In today’s economy, with so many unemployed, the scariest thing for a freelancer is to turn down a paying gig. Unlike the 9 to 5 crowd, downtime is bad for business, so turning down work is in many ways, like taking a hunger strike. However, it does send a powerful message, “I’d rather starve than take your money.”
Why in heaven’s name would I want to starve, you may ask? Think about this for a minute. If you’re looking for something to eat, which tastes better, dumpster diving, or eating at a fine restaurant? In many ways, taking that bad client’s money is like that. Sure, you’ll get a meal, but it won’t taste as good, it may be a rotten deal, or it may make you sick.
As a freelancer, we we work with two modes; hungry and hustle. The bottom line, you don’t work, you don’t get paid. The key is to keep that work flowing without any blockages, and that’s where the bad client can really screw things up. Pardon my Klatchian, but is your time that worthless for you to spend it on a project or job with a piss poor rate of return? Hell no!
What exactly is a “bad client?” Some may say, it’s a client that doesn’t pay on time, or has unrealistic expectations. Well, not always, but these are definitely symptoms of a bad client. The truth is, a bad client is one that ruins your business, plain and simple. Unrealistic expectations are a fact of life, as many people don’t really know how you run your business. You’re going to have to deal with that in any industry, and with a bit of good management and people skills you can work around that. If your client doesn’t understand why it takes so long to deliver something, explain it to them again, and put it in writing. Chances are, it may be your process slowing things down, or it could be the client’s poor understanding that leads to a roadblock. I’ve seen this happen and found that patience and understanding can go a long way. Oh, and never condescend to a client, no matter how much you really want to. Treat people like adults and they tend to act like adults.
Paying on time is another matter than can’t always be avoided. Sometimes my favorite customers have problems with money. It happens, especially with our current economy. Again, you’re an adult, work something out. If they don’t have the budget for your services, change your rate, or thank them and go your separate ways. Nuff said!
So what exactly is a bad client? Well, someone who doesn’t value your time, plain and simple. Some clients may not understand what you do, or why exactly you’re charging so much for a service. As a web guy I get this a lot, as people think putting together a web presence is a simple as filling out a MySpace page. However, these aren’t bad people, just misinformed. A bad client just doesn’t seem to care, or sometimes will try to get you to short cut yourself, in their favor. Run from these people.
We get most of these types of deals when we’re starting out, and the most common is “Do my project for free, and I’ll tell everyone you did it. It’s like free advertising!” Sorry buddy, it doesn’t work that way. That’s like going to a car dealership, and asking for a free car in exchange for wearing a company tee shirt while driving it. Ad generated revenue works for some things, but not EVERYTHING.
There are times when I’ve done projects for free, or for a really low rate. It mainly is something I reserve for close friends, or as a trade for services. In some cases, I’ve agreed to do a project for free because I thought it would be something I’d like to try. However, as much as I love what I do, it’s no more than a hobby if it doesn’t pay the bills, and quite frankly, if anyone is going to waste my time, it’s going to be me.
Like I’ve said, this is something the up and coming newbies get stuck with as they’re starving and really need that extra bit of cash or experience. Some say they can’t always make these choices. I politely disagree.
Every time you take a job, either with hungry or hustle as motivation, you need to realize that you can only handle only a finite set of tasks, and there are only 24 hours in a day. In any career, we all start off hungry, looking for any chance to prove ourselves. And with that, we always take that project. You know the one. Unrealistic expectations on both sides. Low budget, high risk, and doomed to fail. I’ve been working freelance for the past 10 years and I still can’t escape them.
Which is why I say there comes a time when you need to “fire your clients”. This only applies to when you’ve gotten stuck in one of those relationships, in case your spidey sense didn’t kick in, or you couldn’t run and scream fast enough. As a professional, you need to know your limits and understand when it’s time to end an unhealthy relationship before it ruins you. I can’t stress this enough, but you need to be professional. A professional knows what his or her time is worth and should never sacrifice that. It is not being lazy or unmotivated but honestly knowing the value of your time, and your own limits. As a professional, you need to decide if you’re in it for the money, the work, or passion of doing what you love.
“I don’t intend to build in order to have clients; I intend to have clients in order to build.”
