7 Signs That It's Time to Fire a Client
It's an issue faced by business owners worldwide -- having
to let go of, or "fire" a client. When I started my business, it's not a
situation I ever thought I would face, as I was happy to take on almost anyone
that wanted to hire me. However, over time, my client scrutinizing skills
became more acute, and I began to realize that not every client is a perfect
client for me. In fact, more than 50% of the people I speak with are not a good
fit for one reason or another. Just like Donald Trump in "The Apprentice",
sometimes you just have to say, "You're fired!"
What happens to your business when you keep clients that are PITA (I'll let you
figure out that acronym) clients? All of your time and energy is drained in
serving these clients, you lose any enthusiasm you ever had for your business,
and you no longer have the time or desire to go out and market yourself and
continue to fill your client roster. You become angry and resentful of the
clients that are dragging you down and begin to question yourself about why you
started a business in the first place.
Disengaging from a poor client choice can be painful, and often it's not easy.
However, given the alternative, letting go of that client is a healthy route to
follow. I found a great quote on the topic of "letting go" by author Benjamin
Shield in his book, Handbook for the Soul: "Letting go is one of
the most difficult challenges human beings ever face. I've always pictured
letting go as transformation moving from a closed fist to an open hand. As we
take an open-handed attitude toward life, we can be free of the self-made
obstructions that litter our path. This process requires a willingness to shed
our persona--those inauthentic trappings we hold onto for identity but that no
longer serve us. The choice to let go frees us to follow the pathway to our
soul."
I can very much relate to this quote -- freeing yourself from a bad client
choice does provide the pathway to follow your soul. Finding the perfect
clients with whom you resonate will bring joy back into your life and business
once again, thus putting you back in touch with your business and life vision
and reconnecting to your soul. Life is too short to work with PITA clients.
Check your client roster against these 7 signs -- is it time for you to shake
out your client roster?
1. You dread every phone call from the client. If you're
constantly ducking someone's call because you find it painful or exhausting to
speak with them, or the conversation invariably makes you angry or resentful,
it's time to take some action to remedy the situation. How much more would you
enjoy your day-to-day client interactions if you looked forward to taking your
client's calls?
2. The client nitpicks every single expense and insists that tasks should
take anyone else as long to do. I've had clients who "knew" I was
shortchanging them and insisted that what I was doing for them wouldn't take
others in my field as long to complete, and I should adjust my bill
accordingly. I've discovered that this lack of trust is about the client, not
about me, and that I'm more than competent and skilled in what I do. Don't let
a "nitpicker" make you doubt yourself --there are other client fish in the sea.
3. Emergency requests are the only type of requests your client makes of
you. No one likes to be under the gun, and trying to do something
quickly and under pressure stifles all creativity and thoroughness. Some people
are addicted to adrenaline and like to stay in the urgent all the time.
However, living the urgent is a high-stress way to live your life, and the toll
it takes on body and spirit is substantial. A better client choice is someone
who adequately plans and prepares his time, so that emergencies are rare.
4. Lack of client follow-through prevents any progress from being made.
Do you spend all of your time with a client in review of plans and what's
supposed to be done, yet seldom ever get to the point of completion so that you
can move to the next stage? Nothing is more frustrating than a client who says
she wants to achieve a certain result, but seems to be immobilized in the
planning stage. Consequently, you spend all of your time with the client in
review rather than in action. Perhaps you're able to put on a "coaching" hat and
help the client see the roadblocks she's facing. However, if she's unwilling to
discuss what's stopping her and your frustration level is growing at her lack of
action, it's probably time to cut her loose and let her go.
5. Your client loves to micromanage. Typically, when I'm hired by
a client, they have a problem to solve and I offer the perfect solution to their
problem. However, I've had clients who don't let me solve their problem in the
way that I think is best. They insist on having to approve every step along the
way and must be involved in every single detail. In many cases, they are
accustomed to having employees and erroneously believe that good management
entails micromanaging each step an employee takes. A great client is someone
who hires you to solve a problem and doesn't really care how you resolve it --
they are willing to give you the room and latitude to bring your experience to
the table and help them resolve their issue.
6. Delegation is a skill completely foreign to your client. Most
business owners know that in order to be successful in your business, you can't
do it all alone. A successful business owner has a great team to which she
consistently delegates tasks that she doesn't have the time to do, while she is
out there looking for new business opportunities. If your client refuses to let
go of anything and insists on doing the very things you were hired to do, your
client hasn't grasped the notion of "lost opportunity costs". Sometimes it's
simply easier for a business owner to work "in" the business rather than "on"
the business, as the latter usually means that you have to be in the marketing
and sales mode -- a mode that many business owners hate. A great client does
what she does best and delegates the rest.
7. Money issues plague your client. Can your clients really
afford to hire you? Sometimes they're in a start-up phase, or they're just
experiencing a cash flow crunch. They obsess over your fee in every
conversation that you have, and are usually slow to pay your invoices. The time
and energy you spend in chasing their payment is very draining. A better client
is one who understands your payment requirements and is easily able to afford
and pay your fee.
I realize that it takes time and a visit to the "school of hard knocks" to
finely tune your ability to choose clients that are a perfect fit for you. Take
a look at your standards for running your business -- perhaps to need to raise
them so that you can make better client choices. And, the first standard to put
into place is that you don't work with any clients you don't enjoy. Let go of
those clients who are causing you pain, and new clients that are a better fit
will show up in their place -- guaranteed!
(c) 2009 Donna Gunter
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