Client Red Flags

How to Spot Them, and What to do About Them

A new client relationship is often akin to a new romantic relationship. First, there’s the heady buzz and the rose-colored glasses. Sometimes, we’re lucky and that feeling stays with us throughout the course of the relationship.

And, sometimes not.

Then, if a client relationship turns sour, it can be just like a divorce. There’s the emotional, legal, and financial tangles to deal with.

Over the last 17 years, I’ve had just four terrible clients. I ‘fired’ three of them, and in three cases, I refunded some portion of their fees even though I’d dove in and, in one case, did a fair chunk of the work.

Looking back at each instance, though different circumstances, I can see now that there were signs up front that I didn’t [want to] see.

I get it.

It’s tough to turn down new client work that pays the bills. You think you can deal with their quirks and go in full force to tackle the work. The problem is that it’s never the actual work that’s the issue.

It’s the client.

Long ago, with the help of my attorney, I developed an 8-page New Client Onboarding package. It covers a variety of topics and includes a Terms & Conditions page that covered every possible twist. The final…