Let’s face it, there are really difficult clients who jeopardize your daily living. If a client is just giving you unnecessary headache, then better let them go. Here are some signs that will tell you the right time to let go off a difficult client.
Unprofessional
Numerous clients tend to be very friendly. Being friendly is a good thing, though, this will do more harm than good once clients become too friendly that they end up talking informally or throwing up jokes. This oftentimes leads into discussing off topics and worse, may turn into gossips. Unprofessional clients are volatile. You will never know when they will ask for a free work-related favor or turn their back on you. When this case happen, then better let go of the client and save the good working relationship before it turns sour.
Violates the Contract
Violating a contract may be considered an offense but might not be serious enough to sue the other party. Nevertheless, it’s enough reason to let the client go. If a client encroaches upon the contract, then it might be an indication that the client does not respects what you agreed and cannot be trusted. Working with them might just cause you huge problems and concerns in the future.
If they are too important for you, you might still keep your client but do something about the violation. You can either insist revision of the contract or adding your own clause. This is to prevent the same case from happening again.
Disrespectful
One of the key factors that keep a working relationship strong is respect. If the client is treating or expressing below-the-belt statements, questioning your principles or ethics or doing/saying anything that you find disrespectful and offending, try talking about him about it and if that doesn’t bring you any good it’s for the best to stop working with him. It’s better to lose a client than allow them do something that can bring down your morale. It’s better to let them go rather than lose your self-respect and confidence.
Despite of their action, try to remain professional and avoid lighting up a flame war.
Highly demanding
Demanding clients are good if and only if their demand is for your improvement. They ask for something because they know you can do better. But if the demand are about making changes after you completed and met the set project specification or unreasonable deadlines, then better let those clients go.
High Maintenance
High maintenance clients pertain to clients who require a lot of guiding effort. They want you to clearly communicate even the smallest detail of the project and update them with every progress. They want you to get in touch almost every few hours.
Although you might have spare time to do so, these clients rarely worth your effort and the hassle. You don’t have to be too hard on yourself and suffer from them.
Does not pay on time
You work because you wanted to have some money. You have worked hard, have sleepless nights working on the project but at the end can’t receive the payment you deserve on time? Remember that once you completed a project on time, a client has no reason for late payment.
Do your job professionally with fair cost to customers and on time, then get paid also on time so to pay others on time. Customers that disagree with this rule of business unavoidably will end up in second class, regardless of wealth law is more powerful than money, this is well written in stone
on the 10 commandments so that we can live long with minimum stress. A friendly goodbye is better than miserable tolerance.