Barry_Green
Moderator
Top 10 Ways to Fire the Client From Hell - Inside CRM
How to tactfully rid your business of penny-penching, unreliable and abusive clients.
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Firing a nightmare client
- Thread starter Barry_Green
- Start date
Luis Caffesse
Admin
Nice article.
:thumbsup:
I could have used this in the past.
Too many of those 10 descriptions brought back memories.... bad memories.
:thumbsup:
I could have used this in the past.
Too many of those 10 descriptions brought back memories.... bad memories.
grinner
Carbonite Member
the secret to success is first getting clients ut then kowingwhich clients to weed out and when. Schedule ad budget depicts this. 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. He played the "I feel betrayed" card but this is how I felt when he started exploiting me. When it's no longer worth your time, it's no longer worth your time.
Luis Caffesse
Admin
grinner
Carbonite Member
you are welcome to him, man.
He got it in his mnd I owed im free hours after every gig. Whe I could not give him kick backs anymore, he wanted me to start billing HIS client for my time on projects that were not his client's projects. Steraling isn't cool and will make a brother unemployed quickly. Best to send these dudes kickin' rocks.
He got it in his mnd I owed im free hours after every gig. Whe I could not give him kick backs anymore, he wanted me to start billing HIS client for my time on projects that were not his client's projects. Steraling isn't cool and will make a brother unemployed quickly. Best to send these dudes kickin' rocks.
mikkowilson
Steadi-Guru
AWSOME! :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
Stuck.
- Mikko
Stuck.
- Mikko
grinner
Carbonite Member
Just fired a new wave of clientele. I feel like a free man!
Feels great to rid oneself of what becomes a daily grind from tmie to time. We have to love what we are doing to be great at it and we have to be more than great at it to make a living at it. By this, I say fire your clients every now and then to keep things fun, fresh and profitable.
Feels great to rid oneself of what becomes a daily grind from tmie to time. We have to love what we are doing to be great at it and we have to be more than great at it to make a living at it. By this, I say fire your clients every now and then to keep things fun, fresh and profitable.
SonicStates
Well-known member
Thanks for the article Barry!
We have a client who loves to barter. Not only that, but once we make changes to his design and he doesn't like it (website stuff), he asks if we can change it back and because we are going back to the original design, he is stunned to learn that we are going to charge him for the design which we ended up trashing.
I've given him one firm warning on the bartering and each and everytime he tries for a discount from this point on the price per hour gets raised.
I feel really bad for my designer because he gets phone calls which start with random stuff like: "Change the banner...you know the banner" ...and I do mean that is the very begining of the phone conversation.
He's on thin ice and if his failure to respect boundries continues I will be forced, as one of my friends says, "To give im the flush."
We have a client who loves to barter. Not only that, but once we make changes to his design and he doesn't like it (website stuff), he asks if we can change it back and because we are going back to the original design, he is stunned to learn that we are going to charge him for the design which we ended up trashing.
I've given him one firm warning on the bartering and each and everytime he tries for a discount from this point on the price per hour gets raised.
I feel really bad for my designer because he gets phone calls which start with random stuff like: "Change the banner...you know the banner" ...and I do mean that is the very begining of the phone conversation.
He's on thin ice and if his failure to respect boundries continues I will be forced, as one of my friends says, "To give im the flush."
Jokerswild
Well-known member
It's about honor and self respect..Congratulations for making the correct decision!
bill totolo
Veteran
Definitely worth while to do some spring cleaning once in a while ; )
I feel really bad for my designer because he gets phone calls which start with random stuff like: "Change the banner...you know the banner" ...and I do mean that is the very begining of the phone conversation.
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Assurance retraite vie complementaire fr | Vie assurance retraite complementaire fr
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Assurance retraite vie complementaire fr | Vie assurance retraite complementaire fr
blaremedia
Member
The cheap clients are often more work than the expensive ones. Less pay and more headaches. The problem is that they don't take your job seriously.
Far and away the best prize that life has to offer is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.
- Theodore Roosevelt
Justin McAleece
http://www.redonerental.net
Justin@BLAREMedia.net
Far and away the best prize that life has to offer is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.
- Theodore Roosevelt
Justin McAleece
http://www.redonerental.net
Justin@BLAREMedia.net
JonathanLB
Carbonite Member
Yup
Yup
We have a client like this, and it's not even video production / editing anymore. It started with that, and we did a big project for them, now I contract out design / Website maintenance / hosting for them, as my company is a media company so I try to offer it all.
We gave them a great rate on our maintenance contract and the work we've done, but (this was a problem during the video work too) they are very hard to communicate with and just do not express what they want. About 29 days ago now we got an e-mail "Can you fix the management page there is stuff wrong with it," and that was really the extent of the e-mail. We sent back asking specifically what is requested, what text needs changing, and to what, etc. Nothing. Haven't heard back.
This happened so often that they started yelling at us for not meeting deadlines or offering timely service. So finally we implemented a trouble ticket system, where they have to submit all changes via e-mail that logs them into a system, OTRS, and e-mails my friend and I immediately. From there, we e-mail them back when it's done or when more information is requested. This clearly shows the chain of communication so that when work isn't done because we're waiting on them, we can show them exactly why it wasn't done and that we last communicated to them with NO response. It has been great having the system in place and at least the client cannot reasonably complain any further without us being able to prove that we're waiting on them.
It's convenient because it does pay to be right -- individual properties communicate with us, but we get in trouble with corporate if stuff isn't done. Corporate doesn't know where the ball was dropped, they just are hearing it wasn't done. So now we can show them and they can get on their own people about communication, rather than getting after us about it.
With new clients I spell out clearly what the contract entails and what must be done, etc. No more nightmare clients, lol.
Yup
We have a client like this, and it's not even video production / editing anymore. It started with that, and we did a big project for them, now I contract out design / Website maintenance / hosting for them, as my company is a media company so I try to offer it all.
We gave them a great rate on our maintenance contract and the work we've done, but (this was a problem during the video work too) they are very hard to communicate with and just do not express what they want. About 29 days ago now we got an e-mail "Can you fix the management page there is stuff wrong with it," and that was really the extent of the e-mail. We sent back asking specifically what is requested, what text needs changing, and to what, etc. Nothing. Haven't heard back.
This happened so often that they started yelling at us for not meeting deadlines or offering timely service. So finally we implemented a trouble ticket system, where they have to submit all changes via e-mail that logs them into a system, OTRS, and e-mails my friend and I immediately. From there, we e-mail them back when it's done or when more information is requested. This clearly shows the chain of communication so that when work isn't done because we're waiting on them, we can show them exactly why it wasn't done and that we last communicated to them with NO response. It has been great having the system in place and at least the client cannot reasonably complain any further without us being able to prove that we're waiting on them.
It's convenient because it does pay to be right -- individual properties communicate with us, but we get in trouble with corporate if stuff isn't done. Corporate doesn't know where the ball was dropped, they just are hearing it wasn't done. So now we can show them and they can get on their own people about communication, rather than getting after us about it.
With new clients I spell out clearly what the contract entails and what must be done, etc. No more nightmare clients, lol.
Oh God, my buddy who I often work with on certain projects has client 1,2,3 and 6 all rolled into one. I think he'll be lucky to break even. I told him don't be so desperate for work. Ask for more. Don't take the first low-balled offer.
Who the hell else is the client going to get to do the project that cheap? His 12 year old nephew with handycam?
Who the hell else is the client going to get to do the project that cheap? His 12 year old nephew with handycam?
Babies get it - why not freelancers?
Babies get it - why not freelancers?
Any parent who tells you the first words out of the mouth of their babes is Mama or Dada is shining you on.
In 99.9 per cent of all cases, the first word is 'No!'
It's the single most popular direction they get in the first few months of life so only makes sense that it's the first one - being dog simple to say - that they spit back.
But for some unfathomable reason, your average freelancer just can't say it when it comes to crazy situations posed by crazy clients who are never going to see reason.
No! is the freelancer's friend.
Will you do this for free?
No!
Will you donate 27 extra hours to this project for no extra money?
No!
Will you kiss my crusty, skanky butt?
No!
Sure, somebody will say Yes! to all of the above. Just don't let it be you.
Cheers,
George
Babies get it - why not freelancers?
Any parent who tells you the first words out of the mouth of their babes is Mama or Dada is shining you on.
In 99.9 per cent of all cases, the first word is 'No!'
It's the single most popular direction they get in the first few months of life so only makes sense that it's the first one - being dog simple to say - that they spit back.
But for some unfathomable reason, your average freelancer just can't say it when it comes to crazy situations posed by crazy clients who are never going to see reason.
No! is the freelancer's friend.
Will you do this for free?
No!
Will you donate 27 extra hours to this project for no extra money?
No!
Will you kiss my crusty, skanky butt?
No!
Sure, somebody will say Yes! to all of the above. Just don't let it be you.
Cheers,
George
steev'sHVX
Well-known member
this is why rap videos suck