Crappy Clients: How (and when) to fire them without feeling guilty
You’ve had your fair share of crappy clients, right? I know you have. We all have. But how do you deal with those clients who raise your blood pressure and give you constant headaches? There’s a few ways to actually deal with these situations if you find yourself in them and I hope that after reading this, you’re able to take a stand and fire that crappy client you’ve got lingering around still.
One thing that Clients From Hell has taught me is that it’s not just me who runs into a client who gets in your nerves, says things that will piss you off and generally be the client from hell they were born to be. It also showed me that sometimes, people are just who they are and there’s no changing them, no matter how nice we are to them.
The good news is that it’s O.K. It’s alright if you have a horrible client. Hell, you might even be dealing with one right now that you just can’t figure out how to get rid of.
CustoMonsters, as the fine people over at Business Beware call them, can eat up time out of your day, drain you of your enthusiasm and generally cause more stress than they’re worth. Sound about right? Well, here’s some ways to deal with those crappy clients and fire them without feeling guilty about it.
Always have a contract that’s well written
The first thing that I’d suggest doing is make sure that there’s a clause or two in your contract that states at any time if the business relationship hits specific points (ie: client is more than a week late with payment) that the contract is null and void and you’re able to walk away clean from the engagement.
Just having this in the contract will make a few people mad, which will generally end up being the people who you would have problems with anyways, so just look at it as a preventative way of keeping those crappy clients off your roster.
Trust your gut – ALWAYS
If you feel weird when having a conversation with a potential client, make sure you trust your gut and never sign on to work with them. It might seem counter productive to turn away work, especially if you’re just starting out, but the headaches you’ll save in the long run will be payment enough.
I recently worked with a client who I KNEW was going to be a headache and instead of walking away, I took the job on because I needed the extra cash. After a couple weeks of back and forth bickering, I am no longer working with this client and I regret ever working with them.
Take the classy route
If you are ready to cut ties with the client, you could always put together a list of other freelancers who might be interested in the work and let your client know that you’re no longer able to work with them. Let them know that the freelancers on your list would be able to better suit their needs and that you are stepping away from the project.
Some clients will be mad and some will raise hell and kick & scream, but it’s alright. Keep your head held high because at the end of the day, you’re doing what’s best for you and your freelance career.
Take the (less)classy route
Sometimes a client needs to have it put flat out in front of their face how unprofessional they are and know exactly why you’re walking away from the project. Explain that their attitude was rude and unprofessional and that you refuse to work with someone who doesn’t know how to properly conduct business.
After you’ve done that, wipe your hands clean and don’t get into a bickering match. If they respond with hateful comments, just be proud that they’re pretty much proving your point.
If all else fails, take a loss
If you don’t have a contract in place that allows for you to walk away clean, it might be best just to refund the money they’ve paid and walk away. Trying for a couple weeks to work with them while they’re being a crappy client will end up costing you more than the cash you’ve got to refund, so it’s best to just handle it and get it over with.
Takeaway notes
Remember, if a client is a crappy client, they’re not benefiting your business, so there’s no reason that you need to go out of your way to please them. The excess scope creep requests and blatant disrespect are not what you deserve, so cut ties as clean (or as dirty) as you can and walk away.
Your stress levels will thank you, I promise.
editors note: This post was written in response to a question submitted by @MicheleCynowicz on Twitter. If you’ve got a question and would like to see a post written about it, follow us on Twitter and submit your question.
