Firing a nightmare client

[JonathanLB]

Well we parted ways with our nightmare client, for better or worse. I did everything I could to appease them and save the situation, because the money was good, but ultimately even I had started to feel the money wasn't worth the aggravation. There is also the fact that my career has been rising fast on the feature film side and I just really don't need the stress and pettiness from corporate work for an unappreciative client. If a feature film director and a feature film DP (my DP has just booked his second feature in as many months) can't make them happy, maybe they need to think harder about what they're really looking for.

Ironically, and hilariously, we've used the video we did for this company to promote our company to other, competing corporations in their industry to good success. In fact, we booked 2 virtual tours with this one company, they loved the work we did for them, then we booked 4 more that shoot next week, and tentatively they're planning for 3 more that shoot later in July! So it has been pretty sweet and gratifying. The rest of our clients love our work and it's probably for the best to move on from the nightmare client.

Still, it's a frustrating lesson that I guess you can't please everyone. There is also that sense of disappointment because booking this client, when we thought we had the entire contract, was a huge validation of what we were doing with the company and the corporate work I had done in the past. Losing the contract stings for sure in that sense. But at the same time, I have my feature to pave over that sense of annoyance, because ultimately that's where I want to be anyway and corporate work was just supposed to buy me time, haha.

[teresap989]

It's about honor and self respect..Congratulations for making the correct decision!

I just ha to lt a client go who had brought me six figures a year for the lasdt 4 years. Just became too muc of a grinder.


__________________
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[Nascency Chris]

So I guess its bad that I have one client that is numbers 1-9 all rolled into one... and at this point it looks like he is walking away with owing me alot of money for completed projects...awesome...

[Nascency Chris]

So I guess its bad that I have one client that is numbers 1-9 all rolled into one... and at this point it looks like he is walking away with owing me alot of money for completed projects...awesome...

correction, said client is now 1-10 after a phone call yesterday...

[Paul Hudson]

I fired a $100,000+ client last year. It was the best thing I ever did. The change in the attitude alone at my shop was worth getting rid of this stress load. With this client gone the free time has more than allowed us to replace the lost billings. GOOD RIDANCE!

[mikkowilson]

correction, said client is now 1-10 after a phone call yesterday...

Awesome.

</sarcasm>

good luck.


- Mikko

[twistedmark]

We just fired our largest client. After 10 years of badgering us regarding price and lack of communication on their part we said good bye. Now the company, who took over from us, wants our help dealing with them! Good luck Chuck!

[CapVideo]

People always evaluate the cost of action, but they never evaluate the cost of inaction. The one problem client may be paying you well, but you are preventing yourself from finding a client that can pay you an even higher rate.