Is it time to break up with a bad client?

by Rachel Smith
16 February 2018

For most freelancers I know, the first couple of months of the year are usually about getting back from Christmas holidays (if you were lucky enough to take a holiday) and scrambling for work in order to get the money flowing again. It’s been my M.O. too, after 15 years of working for myself.

But I’m noticing something a little different this year.

I’m in a number of Facebook groups for freelancers and a discussion that keeps popping up is all about getting rid of dead-wood clients.

Forget the usual ‘crap, I’m so broke’ and ‘is anyone else stuck in an epic slow patch?’ cries for help. Rather, many freelancers seem to be starting their year assessing who they want to work for, and breaking up with clients they don’t want on their schedule.

These include:

  • clients who pay invoices late and wreck havoc on your cash flow
  • clients who are disorganised and mess up your timelines / deadlines with other clients
  • clients who are guilty of scope creep and who consistently let projects veer into this territory (without paying you any extra, and balking when you try to renegotiate)
  • clients who are overly critical, demanding or energy draining.

Sure, firing a bad client can be bloody scary. Of course you’ll worry about replacing that lost income and how long it might take. And I’m the first to admit that it’s very different letting average clients go when you’re in demand and just don’t have time to take on every great project coming your way. But even if you have 3 clients or 30, it’s always a good idea to regularly assess ALL your clients and editors and decide if they’re still a good fit for you and your business. And whether you could do better.

There are always better clients out there – and giving yourself the space and the permission to let the bad apples go and open the door to fresh new clients can be hugely liberating. I’m talking about clients who pay you on time (and a rate that you can live with), who are respectful of you and your time, who look good on your portfolio and who are great to work with.

And as many of the freelancers I know are realising, Jan/Feb is the perfect time to start as you mean to go on.

To help you do this, check out our new Client Audit Worksheets from the Toolkit. It’s something Leo and I created as part of our ‘work smarter not harder’ mantra for the coming year and it’ll not only help you assess your client list, but consider similar clients or companies you could be targeting for work going forward.

Rachel Smith

9 responses on "Is it time to break up with a bad client?"

  1. Emma Lovell says:

    Last year I did break up with a client. It was because of the energy and time they were draining from me and my business. There were no boundaries, and when I tried to put some in place, they were constantly blurred. I chose to end the client relationship in order to protect my personal health, and the work/ delivery for my other clients. It was a great decision.

    1. Rachel Smith says:

      It sounds like you tried everything to maintain a healthy client relationship and sometimes it just doesn’t work out. You gotta know when to cut and run!

  2. Petra O'Neill says:

    A few – the first and this is the most annoying is to ask you to research a topic and put some story pitches together, only to find out the task of writing has been given to someone else, using your pitches and the contacts you’ve made. The second is the carrot on a stick method of getting a story out of you by promising something great that you never get. All done without paying you anything. After trying to please this editor for years, I have now cut them adrift, having made that decision on Jan 1.

    1. Rachel Smith says:

      So unethical. I don’t blame you one bit!

  3. Time to move on: I’ve trusted a new client, not asked for a deposit cos they were so nice and sympatico and assured me they do their business ethically, I did the work, invoiced them then they did’t pay me! Still waiting…

    1. Rachel Smith says:

      Oh no, Liza – how long have you been waiting? I’ve heard good things about the Collectmore app, if you’re at that stage…

  4. Just last week I broke up with a client. They had promised that they would be increasing their rates when the budget came through, but after several months of waiting and being requested to again write 900 words for $100 I said no. Politely I said don’t get back in touch until you are offering better pay. I wonder when – or if – I’ll hear from them!

    1. Rachel Smith says:

      Eeek! I’m so glad you walked.

  5. Sally says:

    I’ve broken up with two bad clients since I started freelancing seven years ago. One took forever to pay me and the other one was just a pain in the butt. So I can see a worksheet audit like this being very handy, I would love to win!

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