Personally, Rule #1 for me is YOU DON’T. If you find yourself having to deal with difficult clients more often than not, then the first thing that I would recommend is re-evaluating your intake process. Taking the time to develop a questionnaire that determines more about the client as a person in comparison to the basics (i.e., what their budget is or what service they need from you) will be a guide to identifying who is worth taking on as a client. One of my strategies is hopping on a call with each client first, so that I’m able to really listen and focus on what they’re saying as opposed to an in person that might warrant distractions from external factors.
However, pinpointing what is most valuable to you will set the tone of how you readjust your intake process. After mentoring small businesses, I’ve realized that the businesses that are more focused on revenue have an extremely hard time differentiating between a good client and a bad client. If you want to be proactive and save yourself from a future of potentially more work from difficult clients, there should be a healthy balance between the importance of revenue and clientele.
Setting expectations from the beginning is also very crucial. Ensuring that your contract and the language in which you are conveying to your clients are on the same page is what will show your clients that not only are you consistent but also confident in your work. To give an example, often times my business clients have expressed that one of the most challenging conversations they have with clients is in reference to pricing. If you’ve previously expressed to your client in the contract what your pricing is but don’t follow through with what you’ve previously shared, then you run the risk of being portrayed as inconsistent and unclear.
On the other hand, you may not always be able to detect a bad client if they were initially a great client and slowly begin to show you otherwise. The following pointers were extremely helpful for me during the initial stages of tackling this business obstacle:
Ensuring that you train yourself to take the emotions out of business will prevent the client from getting the best of you when difficult situations arise. Oftentimes clientele that pay more feel entitled to communicate or conduct themselves however they’d like with no consideration of you.
Once you’ve trained yourself to remove emotions from business and you’ll be able to handle each and every client by standing your ground and reiterating the facts. The facts could be anywhere from outlining your contracts to addressing moral facts verbally. I recommend addressing the issue right away and following up via email to ensure everything is documented and in writing.
Lastly, just because you’ve signed a client does not mean you have to keep a client. Boundaries are essential not only in your personal life but in all aspects of your business life as well. If they have crossed the lines of your business expectations or professional expectations, then you need to be prepared to fire them. Taking clients isn’t solely about if you are the best fit for them, but also about if they are the best fit for YOU.
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