The Terrible Client Protection Plan

Most clients are likeable. Everything is going along fine and you have no reason to suspect things will go bad. But then something happens. And the monster comes out. Every client has the potential to be a monster. No matter your past experience, regardless of your history, stuff happens and relationships can sour.

Kevin D. Hendricks
Most clients are likeable. Everything is going along fine and you have no reason to suspect things will go bad. But then something happens. And the monster comes out. terrible client

Every client has the potential to be a monster.

No matter your past experience, regardless of your history, stuff happens and relationships can sour. Clients can become monsters. So you need to build a business system to protect yourself from every potential monster. You need to erect fences to contain the monsters and save your sanity.

Four Fences to Protect Your Business From Terrible Clients

  1. Clarity
  2. Commitments
  3. Communication
  4. Documentation
Every business needs all four fences present and active to be safe from terrible clients.

1. Clarity

The most common reason client relationships suffer is a lack of clarity. We assume too much. There are unwritten expectations and things left unsaid. The result is a lack of clarity. And that’s at least half your fault. Don’t blame the client for not understanding—it’s your job to walk them through it. The only way to achieve clarity is to specify everything. Use contracts and scope of work agreements—with clear expectations and penalties—to spell it all out.

2. Commitments

Healthy relationships are based on healthy commitments. It’s more than just getting paid. You need client buy-in throughout the process, otherwise you’re going to have a painful project. Clearly define those commitments at each step of the project. Explain what the commitment entails and what happens if someone breaks the commitment. One strategy is to hold clients to a commitment. The content phase often brings projects to a grinding halt. Combat that by expecting them to deliver content on time or the project moves to a suspended status and they owe the balance of the contract.

3. Communication

Without regular communication, clients tend to make assumptions—and they usually assume the worst. Very few things can improve the client experience more than clear, consistent communication. One way to vastly improve your communication is to send a three-sentence email every Friday. Send a short, simple email to your clients each week that explains where the project is at: “This is what we did this week (past). This is where things are (present). This is what’s next (future).”

4. Documentation

Without documentation, you’re relying on your own memory, or worse, the client’s. That won’t end well. You should always be able to refer back to written communication. Implement a system that can easily capture all project communication. We tend to get lazy and not follow through, but you have to fight against that laziness to protect yourself. Use a system like Basecamp, Teamwork, Evernote, etc. to document conversations and decisions. After a phone call, summarize the decisions and email it to the client so you can both see a written version and confirm that’s what you agreed to. Those are the fences—the tools at your disposal—to help with terrible clients. Now let’s look at the threats.

5 Client Monsters You Should Know and How to Contain Them

Every client is different, but there are common themes. Here are some of the scariest client monsters to watch out for:

1. The Question Mark

This client asks endless questions. They have no idea what they want, they have no goals and no budget. So they just ask question after question. Containment Strategy: Focus on commitment. These clients are classic time-wasters. Get to a price early. Seeing a dollar amount will shut them up. You could also suggest a discovery phase or consulting agreement to indulge their questions and make sure you get paid for answering them.

2. The Invisible Man

This client expresses interest then disappears. They frequently reschedule meetings and take a long time to respond. They’re usually well intentioned, but busy. They’ll disappear during the project, then reappear with unreasonable demands when timing is critical. Containment Strategy: Focus on clarity. Clearly spell out who’s responsible for what and when, with penalties when they don’t deliver. If the client holds up the project, make them pay for it. If you let a client get away with this, then you’re the one creating the monster.

3. The Boundary Buster

This client sends an email at 3 a.m. and then follows up with a 7:30 a.m. phone call. They work evenings, weekends and holidays, and they expect you to do the same. Containment Strategy: Focus on Communication. Clearly communicate how and when you work. Don’t respond to these clients after hours—you’re just feeding the monster. Be very intentional about setting the tone in your initial meetings. And whatever you do, don’t violate your own boundaries. This client will work the system and try to find a way out, so be consistent and tough.

4. The Penny Pincher

This client wants an $8,000 site for $1,500. They’re overly concerned about cost and don’t see the value of what you offer. Containment Strategy: Focus on clarity. Be sure your scope of work is crystal clear. There should be no question about exactly what you’re providing. Stick to that scope—don’t be nice and give them something extra.

5. The Drama Queen

For this client, everything is an emergency. Their favorite word is “now.” They’ll often complain about a previous developer they worked with who did “everything wrong.” Complainers never change. If they complain about a past developer, someday they’ll complain about you. Containment Strategy: Focus on documentation. Keep careful records when you deal with this client because they’ll change their mind and forget previous decisions. But systems trump drama.

Clients are friendly monsters. Fence them in to protect yourself.

How strong are your fences?

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About Nathan Ingram

Nathan Ingram specializes in building easy-to-use web sites that help small businesses, professional firms, and nonprofit organizations look great on the web. He’s a regular instructor at iThemes Training where he teaches WordPress, Web Design, and Freelance Business Development via live webinar. Nathan works with web developers individually and in groups to help them be more successful in their freelance businesses.

This post is based on The Terrible Client Protection Plan webinar hosted by Nathan Ingram over at iThemes Training.

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