BEWARE the lunatic client
This is the most personal article I have every written...please, if you have a bad client..and can remove him or her, do so. I do not want what happened to me to happen to you.
We all think that firing a client is a terrible thing to do. They are hard to find right? Wrong. If you are good at what you do, there will be MORE..trust me.
Not all clients are good clients. Whether you are a lawyer, a translator, a teacher....its simply not worth it. I speak from experience.
I had an awful client. At first I just thought he was mad at everyone else. Not me..who could be mad at me? I thought he was mad at everyone else but that he would never take it out on ME
Then he asked me what I thought about him SUING the lawyer he used before me. Hmmm he would never do that to me, right? The fact that he would even THINK of suing another lawyer..should have been a red flag.
The emotional, physical, and mental drain caused by this client kept me from enjoying my work. This " client" kept me from enjoying all my other clients. It ate up all my time. Constantly complaining and calling
Bad clients usually result from the randomness of it. This was the first time that I had a client outside of my network of clients. I did not know him, his past, did not research it the way that I should have.Very big mistake in my career.
RESEARCH you clients. Make sure that you know their past. Do they sue a lot? Have they been fired a lot? This is all telling of the kind of client they will be.
The issues to look for are
- Recognizing bad clients, and
- Getting rid of them, quickly, artfully and ethically.
Why Are Some Clients So Difficult?
Some are insecure and can’t relinquish control, while others believe they have to be combative to get the best deal. Some don’t trust anyone and fear that they’re being taken advantage of. Understanding clients’ neuroses, however, does not mean tolerating them. He paid late all the time, because the BANKS are so bad.... another red flag I did not listen to.
Why Can’t Lawyers Let a Nightmare Client Go?
Loss of revenue is the most obvious reason, but there’s also the perceived loss of prestige if the client’s brand is well known. You may think, “It will get better.” It won’t. Whatever you’re experiencing now is the best it will be.
You can’t change a bad client into a good one. It’s better to let that client move on.
Another reason is fear. As previously stated, most lawyers’ books of business are the result of random occurrences rather than strategic intent. If you don’t know how you got the clients you have, it’s hard to be confident that you’ll be able to replace one, and you’ll hold on until you get better ones. That’s understandable; however, bad clients consume the time and energy you’ll need to get better ones. It’s a bit of a chicken-and-egg problem. I encourage you to take the short-term revenue hit in favor of your sanity. Just make sure you use that recovered time to market and sell.
Recognize a Bad Client
Here are signs that a client is wrong for you. I’m not referring to a single episode of any of these symptoms. Anybody can go through a rough stretch or have a bad day. But once it becomes a pattern, it’s time for your relationship to end. In my case it was a pattern and I accepted it. A horrible move. Never accept bad behavior.
Demands are excessive relative to economic or strategic value. We’ve all heard stories about the nightmare client who calls at 11 p.m. with a new idea. Or the client who acts like you’re their dedicated employee. Or the poor planner who’s always in crisis mode and expects you to save him with last-minute work, week after week.
You’re familiar with the Pareto Principle (often called the “80/20 Rule”), the essence of which is that 20 percent of what you do brings you 80 percent of the results. Experienced salespeople know the “80/20/30 Corollary,” which means that the bottom 30 percent of your clients produce 80 percent of the aggravation and stress. The first candidates for scrutiny are the clients that bring in the least amount of revenue and take up the most amount of time.
Doing work you no longer want to do. In the early days of your practice, almost any new business feels like a win. You have to get started, so you’re willing to accept assignments outside your sweet spot. (It may even be too early to have a sweet spot.) Over time, though, you learn where you excel, and where you’d like to focus. If you have “legacy assignments” that no longer appeal or that don’t make strategic sense for your practice, instead of doing a half-hearted job out of a misguided sense of loyalty or because you want the money, refer them to someone else who’s eager for the work.
Locked into low fees. You may be working with a great client doing interesting projects, but you may have outgrown your existing fee structure. It’s hard to raise prices with longstanding clients, who’ve gotten used to a certain rate and may be unwilling to accept higher fees. As you grow your brand, you may need to move upmarket and work with clients who see great value in your higher rate.
Want everything for nothing. Everyone wants to get the best deal possible. There’s nothing wrong with negotiating. However, if a client is really pushy about prices from the start, consider this a look into your future. These clients will probably challenge every invoice, ask for write-downs and extra work outside your initial agreement, and will never appreciate the value of professional work. This was my case! This awful client received so much MORE for his money and still was never grateful, never satisfied.
Always slow to pay. In most cases these clients aren’t trying to cheat you; they’re simply too busy or disorganized to pay you timely. Or, they have money problems. It may also mean that they don’t value you, i.e., that it’s not important to them to keep you happy. They’re not afraid of losing you. That was when I should have said...enough! This monster lived in Australia, called at all hours, had no respect for me, my time, my sleep... It wasnt HIS fault, that he paid late..it was the BANKS. Those lousy banks " always keeping my money till the last minute to make money for themselves..they are out to get me"
Crazy, right?
There were so many signs,,I beg everyone reading this.. heed this advice. This client will never be worth it. I speak from personal experience..he took all his lifes anger out on me.
I dont want that to happen to you.
Don’t listen to you. You’ll have clients who don’t follow your advice, are resistant to change, or simply think they know better (even though they hired you for your expertise in the first place). Perhaps they nitpick or revise your work beyond recognition. Or, they don’t listen to your advice, then expect you to fix everything when things go wrong — at no additional charge.
Don’t respond to you. This client hires you, then disappears. Whenever you need information, approval, or input, they’re AWOL. This is the “hurry up and wait” scenario, where you sit on the sidelines waiting for feedback.
Rude, or otherwise show a basic lack of respect. They constantly miss meetings or cancel them at the last minute. They’re rude to your staff or you. This is beyond lacking basic professional courtesy. While everyone has to change plans now and then, frequent rescheduling shows a lack of respect.
Even worse, they bully you.
I was bullied. Work that did not have to be done immediately was insisted upon. His tone was rude, he was angry. He was angry at his life..that everything went wrong. That he was fired many times from different airlines.
He took it out on me.
No professional deserves that. He should have been let go at that moment!
The signs were there, that he was crazy. Why didnt I let him go and avoid all this nonsense? Well, a strong work ethic is why..I felt obligated.
I was not.
You are not if you are in this same situation.
Let them go...put your mental health first and your joy.
I sure wish I did....
If I could share one thing, after teaching for so many years it is this..LET THE BAD BULLYING CLIENT GO!
The sooner the better!
