How Do Businesses Handle Difficult Prospects and Clients?
UpCity partners reveal how they cope with difficult customers and when it’s time to potentially end a contract.
Money is money, right? According to you, maybe that’s not always the case. Like dating or job searching, not everyone is going to be a great match for your agency. But when you have a business to run and there’s money to take into account, it can be a bit more challenging to end the professional relationship, in comparison to other relationships in our lives. We asked our partners how they cope when a client’s expectations go beyond the scope, customer red flags, and more. Here’s what they had to say:
Have you ever turned away a client seeking your company’s services? Why?
“Yes, we have, a few times. We do what we call a discovery session and within that, we focus on the person before we ever discuss their business. In that call, we try to have a sense of how forthcoming they are not only in their business but personally as well. It is sometimes amazing what people will share if asked. In that, we can usually sense red flags that make us aware they likely won’t be a good fit. Things like talking bad about their previous vendor, or how their web developer disappeared on them or would not give them access to their website. More often than not, while there are some bad agencies and developers, many times there are worse clients.
Also if their business model does not fit the kind of client we want our business to be associated with, we are happy to refer them to our local competitors.”
– Charles Johnston, HeartWired Digital Solutions
“I have had to turn clients down who have unreasonable expectations from me which include not being willing to pay a decent price for services offered.”
– Jeffrey Miles, Jeff Social Marketing
“Yes. A quality fit between both the client and the web developer or digital marketer is essential for the success of a project. If someone describes expectations for special technology or processes we cannot accommodate, it would not be fair to take on their project.”
– Jacqueline Sinex, WEBii
“Although I have had to turn away some clients seeking my company’s services, that number remains very low. Still, just like any relationship, a business relationship of any length has to be beneficial for both parties.
While a business relationship involves an exchange of value, the worth of the value being received can be greatly reduced for one party if one of the business parties intends to take advantage of the other or is simply toxic to work with. Years of experience have revealed one important truth in evaluating clients – not every client has to be your client. Learning to spot a bad relationship can prevent lots of potential headaches and financial losses.”
– Serge Alokin, zeropoint7 Studio
“Never ever! Unless they do not have a budget (we have a team to take care of), we never turn them away.”
– Gaurav Sharma, Attrock Consultancy
“In the past, I have turned away clients who were seeking my company’s services because they were not a good fit for us. For example, when I first started my business, I had a client who was looking for a website redesign. They wanted a very specific type of design that would require me to learn how to code to complete the project. Since it was not something that I knew how to do, I did not feel qualified enough to take on their project.”
– Cameron Ashley, Ashbi Creative Studio
“Yes. Clients who are more interested in pushing their weight around than collaborating are not worth the extra hand holding time nor stress to the team. All of our team members are encouraged to ‘fire’ bad clients.”
– Andrew Wallace, PortoSpire
“We have. During our initial conversations with contacts, prior to them becoming leads, we’re very transparent that we might not be the best fit for certain companies. Whether that’s due to their line of products/services, their requirements of service, or their value (or lack thereof) of the services our team offers… it does happen and we’ve always chosen to instead hold off on partnerships of that sort for preferred partnerships with ideal clients.”
– Shianne VerNess, Triton Commerce
“Yes, we’ve had multiple ones over the years. One stands out in particular: a recurring website client who was the definition of ‘scope creep.’ With every new requirement request, there was a debate over the added cost or invoice amount. Over time, we simply decided the administrative trouble wasn’t worth the cost of work.”
– Curtis Bickler, Expert Media Design
“Absolutely!…Simply put, we just weren’t the right fit, or it wasn’t in the best interest of the client. You wouldn’t try to sell a lawnmower to someone that’s shopping for a car! But that being said…99% of the time if we can’t add value or assist that client, we have partner agencies that can! Our mission is to be compassionate, professional, and candid with everyone who walks through our virtual doorway no matter the outcome.”
– Adam Fausey, WDEVS
“Yes, there can be a variety of reasons to choose not to work with some clients. Sometimes it’s a budget question, but it can also be about the right fit for a project. Maybe they’re asking for something that’s not my specialty, or that I don’t prefer to spend most of my energy on. In this case, I still try to be useful to my client by referring them to partners, tools, and other resources that may meet their needs better, if I am choosing not to take on their project.”
– Michael Edwards, Ember Frame
“Unfortunately, yes we have. Sometimes timelines, or certain projects require more hands on, more time to do things right. Clients don’t always understand the “hours” it takes to make visions perfect.”
– Randy Blakeslee, Symboliq Media
“In the world we live in today, there are just some people/companies out there that will never be happy, no matter what is done for them. There’s also plenty of people and companies who just aren’t on the same page as you whether it be what you know is right in regards to the services you are providing or it be just core principles of life in general, but with that said, we have turned down plenty of prospects, even ones that were very high dollar contracts. All in all, some people/companies just don’t get along.”
– Justin Rissmiller, T&R Solutions
“I never do that. If a client can’t afford my services, I usually refer them to one of the contacts who would take on their project.”
– Director Zane, ZANE Productions
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What are some red flags to look for during the initial discussion stage that may indicate you shouldn’t take a prospective customer on as a client?
“Money is or has been a problem. Their designer or developer ghosted them. They really don’t like the website they just paid “a lot” of money on. They want a website, but have no plan, goals, or strategy for after it is built nor the budget to create one.”
– Charles Johnston, HeartWired Digital Solutions
“A red flag for me is when a customer claims they can get it way cheaper. I tell the prospective client that if they can really get it that cheap then there is no need for my services. I also have personal doubts when in this situation that the quality of work will not be the same from the person who is doing the work cheaper.”
– Jeffrey Miles, Jeff Social Marketing
“Communication is super important to my team, so I expect a customer to show me good communication and collaboration in return. If a prospect has a long history of hiring and firing web teams, it can signal problems. And oftentimes, taking on an existing website that is riddled with errors and trying to “fix” it is much more difficult than building something new.”
– Jacqueline Sinex, WEBii
“Some of the red flags I always look for when discussing a project with a potential client include:
- Asking me to provide a test sample/initial idea of my work for free.
- Questioning my rates – this indicates that the client is more focused on the cost rather than the quality of the work to be delivered.
- Telling me they have worked with many other companies previously and had an awful experience with every single one of them. Statistically speaking, it is highly unlikely that everyone was terrible.
- Asking to lower my current rate in exchange for a promise of higher paid work in the future – this is a simple “bait and switch” tactic that is intended to obtain higher-priced work at a lower rate.
- Expecting me to be available for contact 24/7 – all businesses have business hours and mine is no exception – just because the digital technology allows the client to reach me in my bed, does not mean they should.
- Demanding a fast turnaround – while occasionally tight deadlines do take place, some timelines are simply unrealistic.
- Requesting free project scope calls that exceed 15 minutes. Time equals money.”
– Serge Alokin, zeropoint7 Studio
“One: Immediate turnaround time on the project. Two: The prospective client desires to treat you as an employee (meaning they may micromanage or maybe controlling). Three: Their budget is unrealistic.”
– Tammy Durden, Fearless Business Boss
“Lack of clarity on project outcomes desired, business problems being solved, ROI expected. Over emphasis on price versus quality.”
– Mike Mehlmann, Mutual Mobile
“There are a lot of red flags to look for during the initial discussion stage that may indicate you shouldn’t take a prospective customer on as a client. If a prospect is rude, unprofessional, or unwilling to listen, it’s probably not worth your time. If they’re not willing to listen, then they won’t be able to understand your suggestions or advice. If they are rude or unprofessional, then it will be hard for you both to work together and make any progress on your goals. If the prospect doesn’t seem interested in what you have to say, or if they aren’t asking questions about your business or product/service offerings, then they may not be serious about working with you or they don’t need what you offer.
It can also be helpful to ask yourself: ‘Would I work with this client if money was no object? Would I like them if we were friends? Does this person seem like someone who would value what my business offers?’”
– Cameron Ashley, Ashbi Creative Studio
“Refusal to discuss differing opinions or being hard set on a particular solution while unwilling to listen to the experts.”
– Andrew Wallace, PortoSpire
“Simple things, such as how they refer to their team and our team members as well. How well they do or don’t communicate, including how timely their responses are. Unrealistic expectations, especially when it comes to timelines or availability. We’re a smaller company because we’ve chosen to remain that way–we want to be able to serve our clients the best we can, but to also remain humans, and family members, friends, and parents, etc. with a balance between work and life. When we’ve tried working with clients that don’t have the same understanding of their own team, we’ve found we’re not the best fit for them.”
– Shianne VerNess, Triton Commerce
“The biggest red flag is constantly interrupting during our discussion. The best working relationships are those where we can have an ongoing dialogue of fresh ideas and exchange honest feedback. When a prospect is spending the consultation time interrupting and arguing, they’re not looking for a team of experts. More than likely, they’re looking for a robot to implement their (often misguided) ideas but at the end of the day, they will make you responsible for the failure of their ideas.”
– Jason Bland, Custom Legal Marketing
“The biggest red flag you could ever see: any client who isn’t willing to submit a deposit payment or initial invoice payment for your services. This not only forces the client to be invested, but it’s common practice in most product or service based industries.”
– Curtis Bickler, Expert Media Design
“One: Unrealistic expectations–about five times a year we get approached about developing the next ‘big thing’ with a two month time-frame and a tiny budget. Two: Everyone’s been in this situation, a prospective client calls, they’re in a hurry to get something built, it’s all hands on deck, burning the midnight oil, you finalize a proposal, ready the team. And then no-call-no-show for weeks or sometimes ever again. Three: Evading questions or misleading answers.”
– Adam Fausey, WDEVS
“One: The client only wants to meet in person and doesn’t want to have a phone call conversation first. Two: The client doesn’t have a clear idea of what they want themselves. Three: The client says they don’t have much of a budget but will increase services as their business leads increase.”
– Brian Loebig, Loebig Ink
“We’re a fully-managed web hosting provider, so when a client asks us to provide root-level server access or to install versions of software that are likely to cause long-term issues for their account, we throw up the red flag. While we architect hosting environments around the needs and goals of individual customers, we need to know that we can meet our uptime and support commitments. It’s the same when they ask us to make coding changes to their websites. We don’t compete with web developers, we partner with them. We throw up a flag, and can go as far as recommending web development teams, but don’t offer coding services ourselves.”
– Robert Rand, JetRails
“A huge red flag is if a client expects me to begin working without a contract. In my video production business, I insist on establishing clear contracts that define the scope of work to be done, an agreed price for that work, and other details around the timeline, deliverables, and payment terms. If a potential client resists this clarity in defining our partnership, I take it as a red flag that they may make my life difficult when it comes time to pay for services rendered.”
– Michael Edwards, Ember Frame
“A few items we have leaned on as an agency are the following:
Strategy: If the client is not willing to put the time into doing an actual strategy with our team, then not really interested in succeeding. Timeline: These have to be set on a realistic calendar, not a fictitious one. UX/UI takes time, and talent. If you push talent and burn people out, the results will not be the same. We want to deliver the best possible solutions, and that takes time. Cost: If we cannot come together on budgets, or we have to lower our budgets, then we would have to lower our time and that means lower results. We would take a hard pass on that as an agency. We stand behind all our work, and that takes time and money.”
– Randy Blakeslee, Symboliq Media
“Whether they are even a registered business to begin with. We get multiple inquiries daily and weekly where people have started nothing other than just knowing they want to ‘start a business.’ That is fine, except for the fact that we are here to help your business grow; we are not here to run it for you!”
– Justin Rissmiller, T&R Solutions
“The client-agency relationship should be seen as a partnership. If a prospect is focused on bossing you around or telling you how to do your area of expertise, that’s a bad sign.”
– Noah Kain, Noah Kain Consulting
A current client is decidedly wrong about something but refuses to budge from their position. How do you deal with this situation?
“We can agree to disagree, we have found that while clients think they hold all the power in those kinds of situations, what they don’t understand is that clients can be fired too. We learned (a little later than preferred) that toxic clients are not worth the time, effort or any amount of money to try and fix. The sooner you fire them, the more opportunities lie on the horizon to fill and overflow the spot they held you captive in.”
– Charles Johnston, HeartWired Digital Solutions
“We try to propose options whenever possible – a best practice or preferred way to do something, and a compromise. We explain why an approach is the better solution. Ultimately, the client pays for and owns their project. As long as what they want to do is ethical, we can compromise to accommodate their vision.”
– Jacqueline Sinex, WEBii
“I do my best to respectfully explain the rationale behind my position and attempt to highlight the flaws with the client’s position. I explain that the client hired me for my knowledge and expertise, and that I am providing exactly that to the client through my rationale. Having said that, however, I explain to the client that the ultimate choice lies with them, and if they choose to proceed with their stated position and ignore my expertise, I will oblige to their position but that they do so at their own risk.”
– Serge Alokin, zeropoint7 Studio
“It depends on what their ask is. We will advise them on why we do not agree/recommend and suggest an alternate path. If they still insist, and it is something that does not compromise the project outcome in a material we will do it. If it compromises the project outcome, and our reputation by proxy, then we will hold our ground.”
– Mike Mehlmann, Mutual Mobile
“I give them my opinion, try to educate them, and show them cause and effect. Still, if it’s a no, leave it by telling them what could be the results of their thoughts vs mine. Make the best out of it and try to minimize the damage for the rest of the project. Involve subject matter experts on both sides very subtly.”
– Gaurav Sharma, Attrock Consultancy
“We try to be as accommodating as possible, but sometimes we have to draw a line in the sand. We’re all about doing what’s best for our clients, but sometimes that means making sure they’re getting exactly what they want. If that means telling them no, then so be it! It’s part of being an expert—you have to know when to say no, even if it’s not easy.”
– Cameron Ashley, Ashbi Creative Studio
“We propose our best solution as it relates to their pain points, budgets, and reality. We do not need to force projects to move forward so if we cannot find a common goal for a project we politely decline to continue and move on to other clients.”
– Andrew Wallace, PortoSpire
“We remember that they’re human–and that they aren’t experts on the subject, and that they’ve hired us because we are.
There are inevitably going to be situations where you may not see eye to eye with a client, a lot of it stems from lack of communication and lack of understanding. So we look at it as an opportunity to show our expertise and knowledge, and to educate our clients to possibly see things from a different angle. If they’re unable, or unwilling to do that, and it’s detrimental to the success of the strategy we’re executing for them, then we may need to wish one another the best and cease our partnership.”
– Shianne VerNess, Triton Commerce
“Even with the best clients, there are sometimes differences in opinion. If our team just disagrees with the strategy but doesn’t see a critical downside, we will move forward with the idea. In instances where we see the potential for a negative effect (either to their reputation or search engine positions) we actually have a disclaimer that we will present to the client for signing that states our concerns, potential negative outcomes, and that we’re executing the idea on their behalf only because we ultimately work for them but we’re taking no responsibility for the outcome. Seeing the risks in writing and signing off on those risks often makes the client second-guess their position. And if they still move forward, we at least have that agreement to point to if our concerns play out.”
– Jason Bland, Custom Legal Marketing
“We listen and say we understand their thinking but wonder if they’ve thought of ‘XYZ’ (something that could impact their thinking that they aren’t aware of). Usually in this situation, it is because they are looking for something at an unreasonable price because they don’t understand the hours and equipment required so we explain what is involved. Or if it is a logistical issue that they don’t understand, we explain the issues and if they still don’t budge we often have to walk away from the job because it can’t be done properly and they will only be unhappy in the end.”
– Richard DePaso, Aardvark Video
“To me, this goes back to defining an agreed-upon scope of work at the outset. If their request is within that scope of work, and I just happen to disagree with their choice, I will make my case and share my opinion transparently and honestly, but ultimately, if they stick to their choice, I will typically do what they ask within that scope of work. If what they are asking means additional work outside of the original agreed upon scope, then I will present them with the choice of increasing the price of the project, or embracing other available options that remain within scope. Ultimately this is about communication. As a partner to my clients, and as a professional, it’s a good thing to offer my expertise and opinion if it could benefit the client, but ultimately they are hiring me, and as long as I am comfortable with the scope of work, I will try to do what they ask.”
– Michael Edwards, Ember Frame
“We usually tell them that we’ll work on what they want but suggest a ‘backup’ plan. Once they see that their plan is not possible or reasonable, the backup becomes appealing.”
– Director Zane, ZANE Productions
Have you ever terminated a contract early because of differences with a client?
“We have. There are so many companies out there that provide services similar to our own, and while they may not be the exact same–at the end of the day, most of us want the same thing: to make a positive impact on the success of the businesses that we help.
As we say, ‘Your results are our results’ and if our clients aren’t feeling like those results are positive, we don’t want to hold them into a contract for services that they’re not seeing success through.”
– Shianne VerNess, Triton Commerce
“Yes. It was over a decade ago but I clearly remember the client. We had a great relationship during the proposal and negotiation phase. Two days after signing, the client was verbally abusive to several team members during the onboarding meeting and in subsequent emails. It became apparent that this client was not going to be a good fit so we returned their deposit and canceled the agreement.”
– Jason Bland, Custom Legal Marketing
How do you determine the difference between an assertive client and an abusive one?
“Many people simply have a different communication style. It can take a little time to get to know someone and realize they are simply more direct and need different queues to move forward on decisions. Those are not abusive individuals, and once you figure out how to collaborate with them the relationship can be fruitful. Abusive clients, however, seem to have little respect for your process or profession. They try hard to change your systems to fit their own. They use tactics that show they view you as only a vendor instead of a partner. Truly abusive clients attempt to treat their agencies like an employee, going way outside the scope of work. They expect a high touch and probably pay a low dollar.”
– Jacqueline Sinex, WEBii
“The assertive client exhibits an ability to articulate their position with firmness and sound rationale. An abusive client, on the other hand, will justify their position with feelings/emotions and will easily resort to name-calling or belittling the other party, or even exhibiting passive-aggressive behavior.”
– Serge Alokin, zeropoint7 Studio
“The assertive client usually wants to be heard and know you understand. The abusive client takes advantage of your kindness and over-delivering to the point of treating you worse than an employee usually. Unfortunately, many freelancers face this and put up with it because they think they need the money. The irony is that often when you ‘fire’ this client it allows you time and the confidence to attract more higher-paying clients.”
– Tammy Durden, Fearless Business Boss
“A lot of it comes down to the level of respect the client is extending, as well as the willingness to set the emotions aside and realize that we’re both working towards the same outcome: their success.
An assertive client may be harsh, yet not unrealistic, in their demands for helping us all get to the same place together, while an abusive one will show little to no respect for our team, and the goal we’re doing our best to achieve.”
– Shianne VerNess, Triton Commerce
“As a law firm SEO company, we’re often working with lawyers who, in many cases, argue for a living. An assertive client is just part of the landscape and professional criticisms and discourse are quite helpful in pushing our agency to rise up and evolve.
Abusive clients make criticism personal. It’s the difference between ‘I don’t like that idea’ and ‘You’re an idiot for having that idea.’”
– Jason Bland, Custom Legal Marketing
“By determining what they are wanting to control. If they want to control their own content or brand identity, that’s a welcomed assertive act. If they want to control my team’s day-to-day activities or compensation, they are crossing a line. As a contractor, it’s important to realize what your boundaries are and when you need to walk away.”
– Curtis Bickler, Expert Media Design
“Assertive can be a very good thing. It can be great when clients take a stake in the relationship and are decisive. However, when a client is being rude or offensive to our team, for instance, or completely ignoring our recommendations or the data that we’re providing, that’s not the same thing. If a high-stakes website is facing a challenge, clients can feel pressure and stress, but we rely on all parties (including our team members) to remain professional. That’s how we resolve issues together. We have to listen to each other, and we should be working as a team–not adversaries.”
– Robert Rand, JetRails
“An assertive client speaks their mind respectfully and clearly, without making it personal. They are unafraid to share their thoughts and feelings about the work, and remain focused on a shared goal of a successful project. An assertive client can be a wonderful collaborator because you receive their honest input about what they want and need, and usually they will be receptive to constructive communication about how to achieve it.
An abusive client makes things personal, with ad hominem, insults, or threats. They have unreasonable expectations, and manipulate with fear, anger, or other unhealthy tactics to try to get what they want. They may lowball on price, push on timeline, or demand services beyond agreed upon. It’s important to fire this kind of client when it becomes clear they won’t respond to professional collaborative efforts to identify shared goals.”
– Michael Edwards, Ember Frame
“An assertive client might want to communicate at a specific frequency or receive specific data points and demand a level of quality from your work. An abusive one wants you to pick up the phone at 11 P.M. on a Sunday.”
– Noah Kain, Noah Kain Consulting
How do you handle situations where a client is abusive?
“First, I show them I am listening to their concerns and hearing their demands. But then I reset expectations by reminding them of the scope of work and the purpose of hiring us for expertise.”
– Jacqueline Sinex, WEBii
“We believe that every prospect and client has their own unique way of approaching things, and we do our best to understand where they’re coming from, so that we can communicate in a way that’s most likely to resonate with them.
We also have an internal culture of respect for each other and for our clients, so even when we’re dealing with someone who might be abusive or difficult, we make sure to handle the situation with care.”
– Cameron Ashley, Ashbi Creative Studio
“Our contracts have a clause that requires mutually respectful dialogue. It’s a high standard that we hold our team up to and we really have incredible clients and team members which makes this a very rare problem. But if things get heated, scheduling a follow-up discussion after a few days typically helps cooler heads prevail. A pattern of abusive behavior could mean that it’s time to talk about whether or not our working relationship needs to be reconsidered.”
– Jason Bland, Custom Legal Marketing
“It depends on intent. If a client is being abusive but doesn’t realize it, it’s definitely worth having a conversation about the current business relationship. Calmly explaining how you expect to be treated in a business setting is sometimes necessary, and clients who were not realizing their activities were abusive will often be apologetic at this stage.
If a client is being abusive intentionally, the best response is to walk away. Fulfill your obligations as best as you are able, but severing a contract due to an abusive work environment is not a failure. You and your team’s mental wellbeing should be a consideration with any client you decide to work with.”
– Curtis Bickler, Expert Media Design
“It’s important to remain professional while also taking care of yourself, taking appropriate action as needed. If a client is making threats, how can you remove yourself from the situation and create space? And, ultimately, can you stop working with this client as soon as possible?
It may be important to keep a document trail: emails, notes and recordings of phone calls, etc. It may be advisable to talk to a lawyer about how to proceed in addressing the behavior and protecting yourself depending on the severity.
In interactions, it’s important to assertively stand up for yourself, to reject abusive behavior, don’t agree to unreasonable demands, and also remove yourself from the abusive situation: leave a meeting, cut off relations with such a client, no longer work with them.”
– Michael Edwards, Ember Frame
Know When It’s OK to End Professional Relationships
In today’s highly competitive market, it can feel upsetting to lose a client to a competitor but it’s important to remember that it’s not necessarily a reflection of your talent or a business failure. Some of our partners might even call that a success! That’s why at UpCity, we’re committed to helping buyers find the best B2B partner for their unique needs and helping our customers get the most out of their UpCity profile, so they can find clients that are the best fit for them. Not every agency will be the right fit for a client and vice versa.
About the author
Rebecca helps keep all things content running at UpCity. Prior to joining, she was a magazine editor at an agency for several award-winning publications based in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, and a content specialist for several brands within the SMB/B2B landscape. She also has significant experience in digital content creation, most notably targeting hunters and anglers (despite being a vegetarian) during her time at Gander Outdoors. Rebecca has also worked in PR, covering a diverse terrain of products and events, including the promotion of local musicians and music festivals and the latest craft beer offerings from local breweries.
