Three Red Flags a Client Will Be a Bad One.
Categories: Business, Business Lessons
As a designer and entrepreneur, I receive many requests for information about my services. It is one part of the business that is completely understandable and that will never go away no matter how much I explain my services online. I truly enjoy helping people and answering questions that can benefit a potential client. But over the course of twenty years, I have developed three main “red flags” or reasons I won’t work with someone — all reasons that have served me well in only partnering with the best clients.
Three Red Flags a Client Will Be a Bad One:
- They don’t respond promptly (or ever) to my e-mails or calls. My expectation is that if you reach out to me and ask for information or a quote, then you will at least respond in a timely manner, after I send it. I believe it’s common courtesy to respond with some form of acknowledgement – acceptance, rejection, not now, whatever – when you’ve asked me of my time. Not replying is rude and shows me you don’t respect me.
- They only care about the price. I realize that potential clients want to know what it will cost for their project to be completed, and that sometimes they need to compare quotes from different companies, but if the first words out of their mouth are “what do you charge?” this tells me they care nothing about real results. The best clients are the ones who want a great outcome first, and if price is the only concern, then that client is not for me.
- They want to hire me as the expert, then tell me how to do my job. Amazingly there are people like this! I am not sure what the thought process is with people who contact me and want expert help for their problem – then proceed to tell me how they want it done. Just because you’ve read a blog or book doesn’t mean the solution is right or even for you. Would you go see a Cardiologist if you had a heart problem and tell her how to treat you based on what WebMD said? If you want to hire an expert, then listen to them.
I spent my first ten years in business trying to work with these types of people. It ALWAYS ended up in misery and profit loss. Only when I started applying these principles did I start getting the best clients – the ones you would do anything for and who are willing to pay you for your talents. Take heed of these red flags and avoid potential clients that show these behaviors. I promise you will be better off.
You are very egotistical, seriously where do you get off? I will grant you the first rule. The price rule however in this economy doesn’t imply what you think it does. You assume everyone out there is doing as financially well as you would be or rather assume them to be?
Hiring an expert for advice and or help also doesn’t mean they don’t like what you said, often when people goto an expert they have an idea in their heads usually before hand of how they might want things. I should know, i do work for people as an artist….
You need to learn patience with your customers and practise better service to those that might irritate you. It is only a little bit of your time and when they are gone you can bitch and complain to friends about how they suck. All you’re doing here is teaching people bad customer service by picking and choosing who you want to serve…
Ash,
Thank you for your comments and insight.
Am I really being egotistical or am I practicing sound business decisions that help me to build a profitable, sustainable business? These rules have helped me to find the RIGHT clients, the best clients for what I do and who are willing to pay me for those services. This should be the goal of ANY person in business.
My clients and customers today are awesome because I weed out the ones who are not a fit for my business. I provide great service to the ones who I work with and do whatever I can to give them more than they ask for.
Finally, I don’t have time to deal with people who suck the life out of my business or my profits- they can be YOUR clients. I realized a long time ago that it’s OK to fire people or to choose not to work with them. This is what separates businesses who succeed and those that fail. What I am teaching people is how to not go bankrupt and getting taken to the cleaners by the people you want to embrace.
And next time, why not leave your real name or website?
Ash, first let me say that I’ve never met James or seen his site before today.
I think you’re off base here because it’s within our right as workers to pick and choose who want as clients and as a part of that process we want to figure who’s going to be eat up a lot of our time.
This is nothing against the potential client but if we think a client’s going to be a pain in the ass to work with, then why put ourselves through that and set up the project to fail or have a horrible experience for everyone?
I am all for accommodating people as much as possible and sometimes we are going to run into challenges that gives us a chance to turn lemons into lemonade. I think the really successful designers and companies learn to avoid problems and this a part of picking and choosing process.
The only critique I have of the deadline is I don’t know if I would use the term “bad” to describe a problematic client.
Noel,
Welcome to my site and thanks for providing your thoughts!
You hit the nail on the head: We do have rights to pick and choose who we want for clients — and it’s OK to say no to the ones that don’t fit our values, style, skill set, or focus. Potential clients also have the ability to choose/not choose us as well.
What I do know is that in my 25 years of being in business, I have found a formula for knowing which clients will be best for me and great to work with.
Perhaps the terminology “bad” seems harsh and I don’t intend to say the person is bad personally. I guess it just seems logical to call it that since it’s the opposite of good – or a good match.
Man that is awesome and so timely. I just lost a client by trying to stick it out through a few of those red flags. Thanks for being so on point with this.
Hey Dion! Thanks for stopping by and commenting … and sorry about the situation. Hopefully we can all learn from each other to build better businesses and better lives.