The client comes in and meets with you. The case sounds interesting. The client is personally appealing to you. You’d like to do the work.

Watch for the Tell-Tale Seesaw

You explain your fee. The client hems and haws and isn’t quite willing to sign your agreement and pay the fee. You go back and forth: the client asks about paying a lower initial deposit, he asks for a discount on your hourly rate, and he pushes back on your estimate of the total fee.

He says he’ll think about it and get back to you with a decision. You keep following up with him. He keeps checking in with you. This goes on for weeks, back and forth, back and forth.

Finally, you’ve had about enough of this guy. You’re ready to stop chasing him when he calls and says he’s coming by on Friday afternoon to sign the client agreement and get the ball rolling. You’re happy to see your effort pay off for you.

Friday afternoon arrives and he shows up, but he’s not ready to pay the full amount. Again, he wants to negotiate. He has the checkbook out and a pen in his hand. He’s so close, but he’s not going to sign a check for what you’ve required.

Strike the Right Balance

You’ve got hours invested in dealing with this guy. You’ve made call after call and had conversation after conversation. If you lose him now, it’s more than losing a new client. You’ll also lose all the time you’ve already invested. You don’t want to compromise your fee, but not doing so will cost you hours of your valuable time.

On top of all that, you’ve got braces to buy. Braces? Yes, the orthodontist wants the first half of the fee for your daughter’s braces. You’re feeling the pressure financially because this is a big expenditure on top of your usual monthly bills.

What should you do? Should you make a deal, compromise your terms, and bring him on as a client? Should you hold firm and let him walk if that’s the choice he makes?

Listen to Your Gut

You already know the answer. You know you should let him walk. You know you shouldn’t pick clients under the pressure of an orthodontist payment. You know you’re going to regret having ever involved yourself with this guy. You can feel it deep down in the pit of your stomach. You know you should let him go.

That feeling you’re having when you’re deciding—that stress of balancing your strong gut reaction against your need for the money—is something we’ve all experienced. We all understand. It’s normal, and the first few times you’ll probably take the client’s money. You’ll regret your decision when you’re stuck with this miserable client, but it’s hard to learn this lesson until you’ve messed up a few times.

Some people learn lessons without having to experience the pain. Some people learn lessons from others with experiences. Many of us, however, have to learn it ourselves. We have to learn it the hard way.

Only you know what you’re going to do. Only you know which way you learn your lessons. I’d suggest listening to your gut reaction. Let it call the shots on this one. Learn it the easy way.