A bad client day
Originally planned for posting this week, I've put this article on hold for just a few more days.
Since posting A lesson to all freelancers (part 2) I've been inundated with questions about how to deal with specific types of client-related problems. So I'm going to rewrite it over the next couple of days and try to answer all those questions!
To whet your appetite, here's what you can expect to learn:
- Researching your client's background
- Checking a client's financial status
- The pros and cons of working for start-ups
- Weighing up the benefits to your portfolio
- Dealing with uncommunicative clients
- Clients who think they own you
- What to do if a client won't pay
- What to do if a client can't pay
If you have any specific questions about clients from hell, then post a comment or use the contact form and I'll try to answer your questions in the post.
Poll - Clients - who needs them!
Most freelancers will have problematic clients from time to time. Which problems do you encounter most often?
The results so far ( 143 votes )
Frequently requesting changes 23.78%
Asking for free work 25.87%
Failing to answer emails 8.39%
Failing to provide assets 6.29%
Not paying on time 13.99%
Refusing portfolio inclusion 3.50%
Expecting 24x7 attention 9.79%
Asking for rate reductions 4.20%
Abandoning a project 4.20%
Comments so far
I have a regular and valuable client that uses offshore programmers that implement my designs. The problem I have is that the programmers are bloody useless and dont have a clue about CSS so the designs look crap.
I am interested to know your opinion on when to sever relations with a client who gives you the runaruond.
Missy you have a beautiful and useful site. My question of you is that when client is not paying.
WTF?
You're an ass. The question is easily read.
Ok people... let's keep the comments clean and friendly! Suman, thank you for your question; it's a good point and I will try to answer that in the post.
The content here is very useful. My question to you Missy is that a client makes a lot of changes so I am doing more work than I agreed to do and do not make any profit. Please can you help me handle this?
The point 'weighing up the benefits to your portfolio' is of interest to me and I would like to know how you decide who to work for and who to decline. Your portfolio has a lot of big clients do you reject smaller companies?
My question is similar to Suman's. If the client outsources development then where do I stand in relation to how well they apply the design to the site or product? My view is that the responsibility is with the client to ensure that other suppliers are capable of working with the graphics I supply. Would you agree on that?
If the client uses different suppliers then surely they have resposiblity to ensure each supplier is up to the job?
Will you be covering clients that go under?
Your bullet list suggests this will be a very useful post. As a newbie freelancer I'll be interested to read what you have to say about the dangers of working for startup businesses. I assume you will be writing from personal experience? Ged.
I would like to do some freelance work in my spare time (weekends) to earn a few more bucks. My concern is that if I work weekends how do I deal with emails and such when mu customer will probalby be working M to F. Is that something I should come clean about and put in my contract terms?
JL - thanks for raising that one. I wasn't planning to cover that but it's such a pertinent point that I might just write a separate post on that issue by itself.
Hi guys, I loved the discussion here, very very usefull!!! I have a question too! I just started my own company and I am struggleling to get clients. I am pretty sure that my works and my services are supurior than my competitors around me. What should I do to get clients?
This post isnt about marketing!!. If you're not winning any business then you obviously havent researched your market enough.
k my question is ...what to do if the client asked a number of mocks for a same website etc...(feds up with doing same thing...)
Most clients will ask for more than one design for the same site - this allows them to pick and choose which parts of each design they like best. If you do not like giving your clients a choice, then you are in the wrong industry.
I've never had a client who has been 100% happy with just one mockup - normally 2 or 3 are needed before the client signs off on a design. If workingnondream can't accept that then I agree with you Missy that he should get out of web design.
For me its clients who expect free work before they will sign a contract. The only time I do freebies now is for my best clients who otherwise don't give me any trouble.
Clients who never stop asking for changes are a pain in the butt.
I do not understand why so many people complain about doing work for free - how else are you to gain the trust of a customer?
By being professional and charging for all work you do for them. A decent client will respect you for that - if they don't like it then they're not worth having as a client in the frist place !!!
Hi there Missy - I'm finding your articles useful, a lot of what it out there for freelancers is very patronising and I don't like that. Your advice is straightforward and sensible, thanks!
I had a client who accepted my mockups but then pulled out of the contract and got someone else to make the site from the design. I got paid for the mockups but lost out because I didn't get the coding work in the end. Has this happened to anyone else?
Should I charge for expenses such as CDs, fonts, stock images etc?
Yes, you must always charge your client for fonts or stock imagery purchased for their project - but you should advise them of the potential cost first. I would suggest that you don't charge for discs, unless the client has specifically asked for them to be professionally labelled or packaged.
On your poll. Where is the "All of the above" at? lol
Leave a comment