By saying “that” you are sure that you already have a concrete image. No, it is not that you have divinatory skills, it is that the safest thing is that you have spent some time thinking about the idea that you should stop working with that client, although you may not be fully aware yet. And yes, to be clear: I have also gone through this situation.
Each client is unique, although it can be divided into groups
Throughout their working life, all of us who work on our own live a lot of experiences, some more pleasant than others, and we learn a lot from our successes, and a lot of our mistakes. One of the skills that every freelancer acquires is a sixth sense to catalog client, almost on the fly.
Most clients are “normal”, they will have their good and bad things, their virtues, and their shortcomings, but the employment relationship will be within the norm. There will also be some good customers and, hopefully (a lot). Maybe at some point the “ideal client” will appear – close your eyes and make a wish -.
On the other side of the scale there will be less pleasant experiences, or said in a more positive way: experiences that serve to learn, some of them get scalded quickly – If I tell you. What will I tell you … -. But it is not always so simple, nor so quick to notice the warning signs that you should stop working with that client.
I already have signed up to seven types of freelance clients … And only based on the way they pay!
The 4 reasons why you should stop working with that client
Oh! What are signs? You are right. What’s more, if from the beginning you put a name to “that client” with whom you should stop working, I’m sure that at least one is familiar to you.
The knot in your stomach that appears every time you see an email about a new project
Is it here again? It is the first thought that goes through your head when you see a new email, or another type of contact, that announces the arrival of an imminent project. And you had been so comfortable all this time managing other projects, and without missing the stress and constant tension that you feel when you manage a project for that company.
But you do not know how to say “no” so you commit yourself once again to develop that project, swearing that you will put all the means so that the situation is as bearable as possible.
The vein that swells with each release during the project
And the intention of not stressing is good, as it is good to develop the project, at least in the first moments. Until the first message arrives in which there is a small modification, and then there is a change that forces you to redo some of the work already done, and then the explanations of the budget (which had already been accepted) and the protests when you indicate that a change means an increase in the price.
With a lot of self-control, the tension will be within time and work space, although working at home, I recognize that it is not always easy for my environment not to notice …
The mini-infarct that you feel when you receive an email after having sent the project
But a professional keeps his word and, on the indicated date, the project flies through the network to the recipient. It is a small moment of peace and calm, although it is usually similar to the one that precedes a storm … Because the confirmation message may arrive, or may not, but if it arrives, rather than bringing peace of mind to the head, it will come with the question : What happened now?
And it is that before opening it you know that the project that you said goodbye to has always come back because there is something that the client has not liked. But what characterizes these feedbacks is that it is:
As much as you search, you do not find where the error is;
Request the explanation of something already explained, re-explained, and re-explained;
It is something that would increase the price, and the customer knows it;
Or, my favorite: you tried to opt for that route during the development of the project, by active and passive you explained its advantages, and the client rejected it outright …. And now he presents it as if it were a superoriginal idea that has just occurred to him!
I’m not going to say that it’s always the fault of the client, I also make mistakes or, simply, a different point of view suits me, but this is not usually the case. In fact, these situations have always caused me a lot of insecurity.
The downturn when checking that the invoice remain unpaid
Sooner or later, you can finally say goodbye to the client, until next time or until you recognize that you should stop working with that client and communicate it to them, but it is not so easy, there is still a pending issue: the economic .
And is that some customers tend to forget that self-employed workers have expenses and needs and that: We work happier when we do not have to think about whether the money will arrive. Pay: they will pay. At least I, I have never had problems of default, but the wait is desperate …
And the best way to waste time! What to do with that client? You think my advice is that you should stop working with that client, right? Well, no. I did not make the decision that quickly, and it is not always easy, especially when there is no stability, no projects, or many clients. Besides, I believe that no client is bad, or rather, in most cases there is no bad intention, it is a matter of lack of understanding between the parties.
What is important is to assess what this client contributes and what the price is willing to pay. For example, for me, red lines are the clients that: create insecurities in the development of my work; other projects, only, always, and repeatedly, they communicate to indicate mistakes. On some occasions these situations made me rethink my professional situation, and even made me think about quitting because I doubted if I was a professional with the necessary skills and experience, but successful projects speak in my favor.
To stop working with that client seems difficult, but in my case, all the occasions have only brought me benefits, professionally and, above all, personal.