5 Signs That Will Let You Know When to Fire Your Freelance Client

Know which clients to avoid

Let’s talk about when to fire your clients. Yeah, I said it. This is one topic most developers, especially the ones getting into freelancing, avoid discussing. I get it. We all could use the money, and it is never easy looking for clients in the beginning. In this piece, I would like to go through different signs to look for that may require you to drop a specific client. Before that, I would like to go through three things you should avoid before accepting new clients. Now, I have been a freelance developer since 2014 and have had my share of bad clients. I am sure that most of you have been through this, so this article is not just for newbies in the freelance business. These are the three signals you should look out for before onboarding a new client.

1. If Your Client Is in a Hurry

I know some projects come to us as developers with a crazy deadline. If you are experienced and fast, you might be able to take on said project. Otherwise, run away from such clients. Half the time, they do not even pay you. I had a client a few weeks ago who wanted a fully functional e-commerce website in ten days. Ten days! This particular client did not even have ready designs. The discovery process alone would take a week or two, assuming the client is decisive. Guess what. I dropped it. I told them that it would take longer than that, and if they cannot wait, I was not the person to do the job. Simple.

Yes, I am aware that it could be a project that may put some quick cash in your pocket if you pull a few all-nighters. Is it worth it, though? Is rushing through a project chasing a crazy deadline worth the hustle? Keep in mind that half the time, these people there are risks. They usually do not know what they want. They habitually want something done fast, and they may not even pay you for it. Such clients are the type you avoid by all means. Let someone else deal with that.

2. When Your Client Wants the Next Amazon or the Next Facebook

As a beginner, most of the projects you will be doing as you learn different concepts are usually clones. You might decide to clone Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. This is not wrong. The ideas are the most important things to learn. The problem with clients who demand that you build the next big thing is that the whole idea is usually a risk. How? Well, 99% of the time, they will not have the budget for that. They will try to have you do the job for $2,000 or even less. The impracticality alone should be enough to make you walk away.

See, these types of clients do not appreciate the work that goes into building such applications. They usually think that development is easy. As if you have a key on your keyboard that says, “code.” The most annoying part is that they will go on Wix, Squarespace, or WordPress, send you links to themes that look like what they want. It is not wrong. It is just that the budget they have usually does not even cover the development of one functionality. When I encountered such clients, I would ask them to buy the themes or the fully developed site and have a different developer customize it. My advice: Walk away. Do not accept the work. Do not put yourself in a position where you will have a giant project for next to nothing. It is just not worth your time.

3. When Your Potential Clients Compare Your Pricing to That of Others

This is a fun one. I have also been a victim of this trick. See, in the beginning, most developers wrestle a lot with impostor syndrome and trying to get projects to showcase in their portfolios. Most developers in this position take on projects for less pay because the thought of losing a prospective client is an esteem crusher. I have good news! This trick is like page one out of the playbook. Clients will try to lowball you to get the most work out of you for the bare minimum.

There is something developers out there need to get straight. You have not sacrificed your time and effort only to be paid peanuts. You should know your worth. Get paid what you are worth. I am aware that clients might walk, but the big clients will stay. That is the game, and it will never change. So, if your client comes up to you and low balls you with other prices, walk away. It is not worth it, and again, half the time, they are risks.

Those are the three most important signals you should look out for when onboarding a new client. Let’s move on to when you should let your clients go, and I am sure this is the good part.

1. When Your Client Becomes Abusive In Any Way

I am sure there might be two sides to this. Some developers may take on a project that may be a little bit above their skill level. That does not mean that the client has the right to be abusive. Worst case scenario, you give a full refund. That is on the developers. The other side of this is when you get a client who knows not what they want or how they want it. They simply want it done. I have had frustrated clients before.

My case was different. This particular client could not fully define the scope of work. I wrote down the deliverables, and they agreed to them. Later, they started asking for some features that were outside the statement of work. Their defense was that they assumed I had thought of that feature as the developer and included it in the application. Really? When in the world of development has that ever happened? After a few back and forths, I handed the website with the deliverables stated in my statement of work and offered to walk away. This client started being abusive about how I scammed them into a project they never wanted. They even got to the point of yelling at me. I could not take that kind of abuse. I referred them to Upwork and told them to look for another developer who will handle the project. The thing is, a lot of these people just get frustrated with themselves and take it out on you. So, if your client ever gets to that point, walk away. Your peace and sanity are more important.

2. Lack of Communication

In any project you choose to work on, always make sure that your client is always on their toes. If your client is reluctant to provide content or even discussing the project, run away. There was a client I worked with who had no content for their site, and they kept asking me to add some for the site. That was the first red flag. What kind of client does not have content for the project they seek you out to build? Some things are just wrong right off the bat. Avoid such clients because you will end up doing more work than they are paying. I mean, how are you supposed to know the kind of services they offer? The only one who has the information about any project is and will always be the client. Developers only bring websites to life. Full stop.

3. If Your Client Cannot Pay You in Time

I understand financial hardship. Sometimes everyone goes through financial hardship. That is understandable, but at the same time, we need to be reasonable. I was never attentive in my business studies class, but I remember the teacher simplifying the term business as the exchange of goods and services for some value. The one thing that pissed me off with some clients out there is demanding work without for free. When a client comes to me with no money or an amount less than the agreed amount, my first instinct is to tell them to return when they have the agreed amount. Here is the thing: clients will ask you to put yourself in their shoes when they are unwilling to put themselves in yours.

The truth is that clients do not care about you. They only care about their businesses. They can wine and dine you to get you started even without a deposit and walk away from you after receiving the deliveries from you. Some of them will even end up not picking up your calls at all. For this reason, I always recommend taking the largest down payment possible, build the project on your server, and transfer the project to their hosting when and only when the client makes the final payment. If you have a payment plan agreement, pause the project when they go past the due date. If three weeks or a month goes by with no communication at all, drop the client. Save their work just in case they come back a little bit later. You will save yourself some headache.

4. Scope Creep

By far, this is the most annoying thing about clients. I am sure most of you have experienced this in one way or another. Have you ever been in a situation where you have finished working on a website, and the client comes in with a million and one revisions? If you have noticed, these are usually cheap clients who do not know what they want. They will have you do changes as trial and error to see what looks good in their eyes even after they have gone through design changes before the commencement of the actual development.

The best thing to do is to charge for every change after they have reached the agreed rounds of revisions. I do not mind doing the changes, but I simply do not put myself in a position where I have to go outside the defined scope. If the client is comfortable with paying for the changes, I will continue working with them. If not, I walk away, having delivered on the agreed scope. Make sure that your clients clearly understand this before you put yourself in a situation where you become a hostage doing changes for months.

5. When Your Client Starts to Lie

Have you ever been in a situation where your clients turn on you? Have you ever worked on a feature that your client asked for, then they flip on you saying that that is not what they wanted? Frustrating right? Anyway, there is an easy way through such situations — a clear scope of work with both your signatures. If the client tries to slip anything by you, the signed document will back you. Most of the time, clients do not understand the importance of the discovery phase of the development process. Some may even rush through that. Discovery is crucial because you conceptualize the project and have a final draft on every feature the project is to have in that phase. When you have a client that starts to lie about the scope, but you have it on paper, I suggest you walk away.

Conclusion

Business is business. You will encounter both good and bad clients. You just need to separate yourself from the bad ones for the sake of your business. I hope this article was helpful in some way. If you are interested in a similar read, I have another piece about the reality of the freelancing business and many more that touch on clients.

You can find more like it in my stories.