Difficult clients usually reveal themselves right off the bat.
Of course, you have to be looking for it.
The most obvious “tell” is found in the fee discussion.
You explain the fee. They counteroffer.
Who does that?
Yep, difficult clients do that.
Do you compromise? Do you hold firm?
You compromise, and they’ve beaten you at your own game. That relationship is doomed.
You hold firm, and they push. Sometimes they push so hard that the relationship suffers before it even starts.
Either way, it’s a bad start, and it’s not likely to end well. Ultimately, you’ll find yourself in a fee dispute, with a grievance, or with an unhappy client demanding more than you can deliver.
Take a hint. Walk away. Nip it in the bud.
Don’t let your need for a client interfere with your judgment.
You Have Two Options
With the difficult client, you’ve got a choice:
- Take the money and give it back. You’ll pay in misery, legal fees to defend yourself, refunds, or damage to your reputation.
- Don’t take the money. Save yourself the work and end up in exactly the same place: right back where you started.
It’s interesting. With the difficult client, you actually set yourself back. You end up taking the case, doing the work, and then paying the price. You’d have been better off rewatching “Orange is the New Black.”
Of course, you won’t listen to me now. You’ll take the money. You’ll believe you can make it work. You’ll explain it to yourself, even as you know you’re doing something you shouldn’t do. You’ll go for it because it’s too tempting to walk away.
Then you’ll wish you’d listened. The best lessons come from our mistakes. You’ll make some in the client-selection process. It’s inevitable. It’s like putting your fingers on the burners. It’ll hurt.
My wish for you is that, by reading this today, you’ll learn the lesson faster. Instead of having to make the mistake 100 times (like me), you’ll make it once. Then you’ll remember my words and, hopefully, you’ll pass on the next opportunity to make the mistake.
You’ll be happier. I promise. Sadly, you won’t know how much happier you actually are. It’s difficult to calculate the value of the absence of misery. But, trust me, you’ll be much happier than you’d be otherwise. I know from painful experience.
Don’t take the money. They reveal themselves right off the bat. Look for it.
