JohnInMich
11-07-2007, 10:21 PM
Anyone want to share their techniques for letting a client go? Especially one that drove you crazy for about a year but you ignored all the signs because you're so busy?
I've never fired a client before, and in my 10 years of freelancing I've made every mistake in the book (mistakes that hurt me, the clients not so much). I've learned never to work without a contract, never to work on spec, and to always get money down beforehand.
I've realized a new mistake is being too accommodating when clients don't do what they're supposed to do. In this case, the client I want to fire is guilty of:
(1) missing or forgetting all appointments (my mistake: not charging for waiting time. When office staff has called to locate the client and he's at home, agreeing to go over to meet at his house. I admit the house is only a few blocks from the office, but still.)
(2) refusing to spend money to get a decent product. In this case, balking at the price to get professional photos of him and his staff for newspaper/magazine ads. Client provided digital photographs from a cell phone and wondered why the pictures looked so bad (my mistake: not refusing the assignment without adequate photographs.)
(3) sending a mockup of a new logo in Word, and then expecting it to be done cheaply because the layout is basically done (my mistake: not refusing this assignment outright!)
(4) balking at the cost of stock photography (a $300 Getty Images photo) that he wanted. (my mistake: finding something workable on iStockphoto and not charging for it).
(5) peppering his eMails with "duuuhhhh's!", etc. in response to my questions.
I've done good work for him and he likes my work (except for those ads), but to me it's becoming degrading. I feel it is a disservice to pretend that "garbage in / beautiful work out" is true, or that designers don't have busy schedules.
Also, I wouldn't miss the $$$.
I've never fired a client before, and in my 10 years of freelancing I've made every mistake in the book (mistakes that hurt me, the clients not so much). I've learned never to work without a contract, never to work on spec, and to always get money down beforehand.
I've realized a new mistake is being too accommodating when clients don't do what they're supposed to do. In this case, the client I want to fire is guilty of:
(1) missing or forgetting all appointments (my mistake: not charging for waiting time. When office staff has called to locate the client and he's at home, agreeing to go over to meet at his house. I admit the house is only a few blocks from the office, but still.)
(2) refusing to spend money to get a decent product. In this case, balking at the price to get professional photos of him and his staff for newspaper/magazine ads. Client provided digital photographs from a cell phone and wondered why the pictures looked so bad (my mistake: not refusing the assignment without adequate photographs.)
(3) sending a mockup of a new logo in Word, and then expecting it to be done cheaply because the layout is basically done (my mistake: not refusing this assignment outright!)
(4) balking at the cost of stock photography (a $300 Getty Images photo) that he wanted. (my mistake: finding something workable on iStockphoto and not charging for it).
(5) peppering his eMails with "duuuhhhh's!", etc. in response to my questions.
I've done good work for him and he likes my work (except for those ads), but to me it's becoming degrading. I feel it is a disservice to pretend that "garbage in / beautiful work out" is true, or that designers don't have busy schedules.
Also, I wouldn't miss the $$$.