How To Spot a Difficult Client
Being a freelancer requires you to getting to know people from all walks of life. You meet many passionate, caring and ambitious clients and build long lasting relationships. However, you may find there is a small percentage of clients you may have a hard time working with.
Whether it’s logo design or brand identity projects, qualifying clients is extremely important for your businesses and can possibly be a make or break factor on you as a designer.
In this blog post, you will discover how to identify potential difficult clients before accepting a project, as well as remembering the reality of being a business owner and not just a ‘creative’.
The Budget Problem
Being a freelance designer means you are an entreprenuer, being an entrepreneur means you are always taking risks. Risk taking is in the nature of being a business owner. 90% percent of start up businesses fail, due to a wide range of reasons. One common reason is not being able to survive financially.
Risks are to be taken as a business owner, but also considering the assurance of your businesses survival. When working with clients, it is important to understand that you are a business and not just a creator with a computer. Gaining leads is one thing, but pricing them is another.
This is not to be taken lightly, especially as a creative freelancer. When being approached by a client, the best practice is to ask for their budget almost immediatley. However, this sometimes doesn’t pass the ‘money’ barrier as some clients tend to ignore and completely refuse to answer the question.
This is without a doubt a complete red flag…
Some clients intentionally ignore this question to spend more time with you in a conversation, with aims to significantly lower your prices for their scenario. Value based pricing is no problem at all, but you should know what your minimum rate to work is in order to survive.
I typically find that clients who ignore the budget question at the beginning, tend to have a lack of respect for the value of design. This is a sign of a ‘cold lead’, and the project may not be worth doing.
Whether it’s B2B or B2C, your client needs to understand why you are charging what you are charging, and that you need to survive as a business. As well as understanding you are selling your skills, services and time.
You Are The 5th Designer
Logo design projects tend to not be as long as projects such as brand identity, as well as typically being less of an investment. Additionally, platforms such as Fiverr increase the accessibility of quantitative logo designs, meaning clients can easily purchase as many logos as they want regardless on being pleased with their logo or not.
This certainly decreases the value of logo designs, allowing the client to see logos as a cost, rather than an investment.
A client who approaches you, who has worked with numerous designers before hand (on the same project and we’re all unsuccessful) maybe problematic. There is a chance the client could be extremely fussy and unappreciative about design. Due to this, they tend to look for new designers constantly believing it is not their fault but rather the designers THEY hire (Understand why clients shouldn’t purchase a cheap).
It’s typical for this type of client to engage in an extremely friendly manner during the very early stages. But it is your responsibility to remember that you are running a business and if you don’t want to accept the job… then don’t.
Additionally, the client may lack seeing the value in your work, and won’t hesitate to discredit you and your ‘creativity’. It is important to remain honest and reliable but remember you are the designer. (Read the article: Should I give the client what they want?)
Constant Contact
When working with clients, communication is key and important on having an effective project outcome. However, there sometimes isn’t a line between getting work done, and staying on the phone with the client.
Have you ever had a client that want’s to speak for hours about their logo design, instead of allowing you to work on it?
It’s more than understandable, that clients want to get the best out of you as a designer, as well as not wanting their financial investment to fail. But this doubt can sometimes be overbearing for designers and lead to worst productivity for a project. Being interrupted every couple of hours/ everyday by the client can be very annoying and simply… disrespectful.
If the client refuses to acknowledge you are a human with other things going on in your life, this is discourtesy. Being a freelance designer, typically requires you to having several projects going on at the same time. However, some clients dismiss this possibility and make the choice to contact you way too often.
These signs can show up before accepting the project. If a client is looking to get a quote and is calling you more than the average client would, this can be a red flag. Instead of leaving an email and requesting for your availability, they will only focus on receiving their deliverables as fast as they can. This can be debasing as a designer, and if so, simply turn down the project.
“Can I Watch You Work?”
The majority of us have heard this before…
As mentioned, we designers understand clients want to get the best out of us, as well as wanting their investment to be efficient. However, when ordering food from a restaurant, would you ask the chef, “Can I watch you cook my dinner?”
Chances are, you wouldn’t.
As sarcastic as this sounds, this is not the intention, but rather putting into perspective the reality of the problem. Designers consider this mind-bogling , pesky and disrespectful. If a client, doesn’t trust you with their design then they should reconsider hiring you.
It is highly important to remember and enforce when necessary, you are the designer that is being paid to solve the problem. It can get annoying at times when someone is trying to take over your profession, disregarding how hard you work/ worked to have the skills you currently have.
Saying no to the question of “Can I watch you work?”, is not being rude but rather polite. Setting boundaries at the beginning allows the client to know that you are a designer that has integrity and value for your field.
If this question is asked, you may want to immdiatley reconsider accepting the project as this already is a sign for a lack of trust. When working with clients, every designer want’s to build trust and a relationship with a foundation of honesty.
In a nutshell, working with qualified clients can be an amazing experience and you can learn so many things as a creative. However, the points mentioned shouldn’t be ignored as a businesses owner. Working with un-qualified clients can be a problem and possibly detrimental to your mental health.
Learn when to say ‘no’ to a client who rejects to disclose their budget as this is a clear red flag. The client may lack having respect for your time, and try to waste it hoping you will accept any number. Also, be weary to the fact the client may not value design and designers in general, if they have worked with numerous designers on the same project. There is a chance the client is in denial of how difficult they are to work with. Additionally, if they insist on always wanting to call you, this is a sign they do not value your time. Freelancers are human and we want to get the job done, if a client struggles to see this, then you may want to head towards the exit. Lastly, if the forbidden question comes up, really consider rejecting the project. Not all clients intentionally don’t trust you as the designer, but it can be a subconscious decision they have made, which can influence you by effecting your productivity and confidence. Feel free to kindly decline the project.
Freelance designers shouldn’t fear to reject many opportunities that come by. You never lost the job, if you never had it…
its important to know, Integrity is extremely crucial as a designer and this will always be tested.