Awful prospects reveal their bad client traits before you work with them. They don’t bother to hide shitty behaviour because they’re oblivious to it. Like sociopaths, bad clients don’t realise they are one, so it’s on you to make the call.
The referred client.
Ok, being referred isn’t a bad client trait per se, but for me, the referred client rarely works out. It makes no difference how perfect they seem; with me, they’re totally uninterested.
Word-of-mouth work isn’t intrinsically bad, but I struggle to convert referred prospects coz they’re often at the consideration stage; there’s no serious intent to hire. See, they don’t know me from Adam. The referred client isn’t sold on me. They have no reason to trust me.
People mull when choosing a service provider. It can take months of website visits before they make contact. Services are expensive. The investment is potentially huge. There’s always a risk that things don’t go as planned.
Qualify all potential clients. Yes, even your best friend’s sister’s husband’s work colleague. My website does the heavy lifting. It attracts the kind of client I want to work with, and it guides those folks through a ‘how to contact/work with me’ process.
The unreliable client.
Life happens. Clients miss calls and meetings for legit reasons. Decent clients (extenuating circumstances accepted) cancel ahead of time, but sometimes they completely forget. In that case, the client feels embarrassed, and they’ll apologise. Crappy clients don’t care when they let you down. They miss calls and deadlines all the while sleeping soundly in their beds.
Piss the unreliable client off by refusing to work for free. Charge cold, hard cash for consultations. And get paid upfront. People don’t forget things they’ve paid for. Stop wasting your precious time. And if a new client won’t accept your terms? Tell them respectfully to find some other mug. It’s like Jesus said, “Don’t treat people like shit lest you be treated like shit”.
The disorganised client.
This bad client trait is the one where a prospect needs the work yesterday. These types couldn’t organise a key party in a 1970s middle-class suburban cul-de-sac. I’m not using hyperbole when I say their project management skills are non-existent, and yet they adopt the entitled position of expecting you to rally and turn around a proposal within the hour.
With loving kindness, explain timescales. Their emergency is not your problem. If you can accommodate the work, and you’re willing to rush things through, think long and hard before you do. I guarantee they’ll pull this shit again.
The client who devalues you.
The perception of value is beyond your control. But let’s imagine you’ve spent half a day writing a proposal only to receive this email:
“It’s much higher than we anticipated.”
What they’re really saying is they don’t think it’s worth that much.
Don’t justify your prices. In fact, don’t justify any business cost or process to a client. It’s none of their business. Finding the solution to their problem is. Your website exists to discourage price buyers (unless you’re marketing directly at the ‘cheap as chips’ crowd). And remember when I said stop working for free? Well, that includes boshing out free proposals.
The client with the shitty brief.
The last bad client trait is one of the worst. Most freelance consultants experience a sparse brief (oo-err). Doing your job without all the info is impossible, especially if you want it done well, but you’d be an idiot to assume grown adults seeking your services know that.
Don’t budge until the ‘almost client’ says exactly what it is they want. If they’re unsure, probe deeper. If they’re still unsure, advise them to return when they are.
In case you hadn’t noticed, your website is there to repel prospects with these 5 bad client traits. It’s an entire mission statement without explicitly saying so. Proudly and transparently display your process and terms of service. Guide prospects through a rinse-and-repeat journey. The journey is also a test. If potential customers can’t be arsed to comply, remember that discretion is the better part of valour, take your leave and quietly retreat.
Article first published, 4th June 2024.
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