9 Ways To Spot A Bad Client Early On
Bad clients. We don’t want them, right? But how the heck do we know they are bad until we’re already working with them? Through my years in business, I’ve learned how to detect bad clients during the proposal process. I’ve seen consistencies in the way they act before signing on to work with me. Of course, this isn’t airtight, and not all of these behaviors promise a bad client. But, in most cases, if they’re checking multiple boxes, you might want to respectfully decline the business.
I’ve worked with bad clients. I’ve hung onto their business for years. I’ve texted them back at all hours, waited for them at cafes, and bent over backwards to keep their business. It’s hard for me, admittedly, to turn away money or opportunities. At a certain point though, if you’re finding that your clients are starting to stress you out off-hours, that you’re complaining about them to your friends or family repeatedly, and you absolutely dread working on their account, they simply aren’t worth it. Empty spots in your client book will always fill back in. Leaving room for amazing clients that respect your time is worth the loss.
Money isn’t everything. It’s important to disregard budget for a moment when considering a new client to make sure they’re a good match for you. Clients that respect your personal boundaries and defer to your expertise can be much more fulfilling, profitable and easy to work with than ones who push your buttons and are constantly dissatisfied, even if they are paying more. Consider the drain on your energy.
Here’s the traits I have found all of “them” to have in common:
They continue asking for free advice or feedback. I absolutely love throwing ideas out on discovery calls, and even previewing what kind of approach I’d take if I won their business. I think it’s important to show the client how your expertise can fit their needs. However, if you’re finding that the calls run really long, that they want additional meetings, and keep pestering you to “pick your brain” or “get feedback” before they book you, it could be a potential glimpse into a habit where they expect more than their retainer covers. Beware. If you move forward, be very clear about your scope of work.
They cherry pick from the proposal. I totally understand when a client wants to see another option, or wants to consider different budgets. That is very fair! However, I have found it difficult to work with clients that initially took bits and pieces of different packages I offered and tried to “Frankenstein” them together to make their own. It shows that they nit pick, and that they could potentially be very hard to please.
They question your process or suggest a different method. I love laying out exactly how I’m going to attack a project and I like to tell my clients what I use, too. I’m also really flexible if they already have a system in place and they want me to slide in. The red flag here comes when they aren’t well-versed in a program or method - yet want me to follow perhaps some other method they heard about from a news article or from another friend or client. Again, it just shows that they don’t 100% trust your expertise and it could potentially lead to other issues down the road.
They reveal a major personality or business flaw early on. Small talk can be strategic. I always try to get a feel for what my client is like personally because after all, you’ll be spending some time with them. I never judge my clients for having different beliefs from me because that doesn’t affect my ability to do great work for them. However, if they show signs that they’re lying, cheating, doing shady deals, etc. it’s a sign of smoke. Where there’s smoke, there’s fire. Same goes if they spill very personal or private information in the early stages of getting to know you. Steer clear!
They can’t clearly iterate their goals or plans. Depending on what kind of creative freelancer you are, it might make sense to work with a business that is still in the beginning stages. However, it can be really difficult to work with a client that keeps changing plans, sidetracking with new ideas, or simply can’t put their plans into concise words. It can be really hard to please someone doesn’t know what they even want to begin with.
They miss more than one meeting time. Aye yi yi. I always give out a free pass - life happens. I totally understand. But if your potential new client misses more than one phone call or meeting, it just shows that they don’t value your time, or that they expect you to wait for them. Hard pass on that!
They call or text way outside of business hours. It can be hard to get a feel for the flow of communication that will take place for between you and your client (in my world, every client is different - and for some of them I do go rogue because it works). But, if your client is wanting to text at all hours, use Slack, or make frequent phone calls, it’s something you should either account for plentifully upfront or discuss a solution to. Salaried jobs warrant this, but freelance roles are not 24-7. Your clients cannot dictate your schedule. I always like to remember that I don’t expect my electrician to text me back at a moment’s notice if I have a question - I have to make an appointment or be patient for them to return my call because they have other jobs they’re working.
They mention that they've been through several other contractors of your type. If they start to rattle off all of the other contractors they’ve worked with for this same scope of work, take caution. If several others have come and gone, it might be because of them!
Check your gut. Last but most importantly, if something just doesn’t feel right, it isn’t. Plain and simple. Your gut feeling will always lead you the right way.
