A working relationship with a client is the crux of freelancing and that is what drove me to write “Clientophilic Freelancing”, however, there comes a time when you must end your relationship with a client. This is when your client asks for things which are unfair and therefore you should never agree to taking on the project. If you do not end the relationship with the client there will be harsh consequences in the future. So when to end a relationship with a client and how?
1. The contract
Whenever I do anything in business I always have a contract. Now I’ve been in business long enough to know from the scars in my busin
ess that no contract is water tight, but having one is better than not having one. This is why you should never compromise on a signed contract.
A client who is slimy enough to slither out of your contract is something that you cannot avoid. I have been bitten by the poisonous fangs of a slippery snake client before and despite having a “water proof” contract drawn up by my lawyer, there is nothing I could do.
Should an issue arise, which it will, you can make amendments to the contract, but not signing the contract is a sign of problems arising in the future.
2. Deposit
A client who wants to avoid paying a deposit is again showing dodgy signs regarding their intentions. The concept of a deposit protects you, not like a condom but more like insurance. If the client dumps you half way and the contract ends up not protecting you in a small claims court, you will still have the deposit. The deposit should always be enough so that the effort you have put into the project even if you complete it and the client turns you down. This is what is so great about the 50:50 method of paying.
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You can offer the client a 40:60 or I’ve even heard of weird 30:40:30 project payments. Installments can be an option but only as a last resort. Avoiding the whole deposit, however, is a drastic mistake and you ought to kindly let the client down.
3. Deadlines
You are the only person who knows how fast you can work, so there is time I can call too soon. If you feel that you will have difficulty in finishing the project on time, explain this to the client. The client may not fully appreciate the sort of work you put into your projects. Take a freelance photographer, for example, whose client doesn’t appreciate the skill involved in developing a photograph and therefore ask for a ridiculous deadline. try to explain why the deadline is what it is.
If the client can not understand even after having explained this, you ought to reassess if this client will ever be profitable since the amount of stress which the client will cause could really add up on the long-run.
4. Revisions
With every project revisions are inevitable and you should really offer a maximum number of three revisions because by this time if the client is not happy, they probably never will be. We have all had irritating clients who want “unlimited revisions” and then the client will try to push his stress onto you. If the clients wife is cheating on him, don’t let him steam it off onto you and just turn the client down.
Conclusion
Client relationships are the most important part of freelancing, however a time may come when the reason they are so important is undermined and therefore the relationship must end before you get financially hurt. Kill the client relationship before you kill your own business.
When do you think that a client relationship should come to an end? Tell us below by commenting and subscribe to our RSS feed for more awesome content.
Places To Find Work For All Types of Freelancers
Elance – They have over 30,000 jobs posted. They also cover many different categories, almost any type of freelancer can find work here.
oDesk – With almost any set of skills you have, you should be able to find freelance work here. They have a wide variety of categories. This is a heavily posted website.
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