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Avoiding bad clients is tricky for any agency or freelancer.
You don't want to miss 💰 opportunities, but also don't want to be stuck working with a 😡 pain in the a**.
We perfected a simple method to avoid 9 in 10 bad clients:
I call it the ⚾ three-strike system.
There are many ways that a bad client can cost you money:
- late payments,
- chargebacks & disputes,
- scope creep,
- endless delays,
- incessant calls,
- ...and more!
This doesn't just hurt your business, but also your mental health.
Fortunately, there are early red flags 🚩 that hint at this behavior before you even start working with them, such as:
- aggressive price bargaining ("I could get this cheaper")
- unrealistic deadlines ("I needed this yesterday")
- bad track record (”I had bad experience with past freelancers”)
- bad emotional barriers (expects you to be their friend, “Can we chat via WhatsApp instead of email?”)
- demanding a call without sharing context
- failing to read emails properly (which means communication will be a struggle)
We started keeping a list of these kind of red flag behaviors, and add a "strike" to the account for each violation:
- Late night (after 9PM), same-day request? ❌ Strike 1
- Repeatedly changes the scope? ❌ Strike 2
- Tries to undermine the price point? ❌ Strike 3, you're out 🚫
Once a client reaches strike 3, it's time to fire them.
There are a few red flags that we consider concerning enough to warrant firing the client right away, such as:
- using explicit or insulting language
- demanding free / contingency-based work (ie. “We are asking a few designers for mockups and will proceed with the one that fits best.”)
- demanding outrageous terms (ie. Keurig-Dr. Pepper demanded 360-day payment terms in an RFP)
Ideally, you'll catch strike 3 while they are still a prospect — before they even hire you.
It's a simple as that! With this simple strategy, we decreased the number of "bad clients" our agency takes on by 90%.
Thanks to the three-strike system, we're able to consistently work on more exciting & rewarding projects while serving clients who are a joy to collaborate with.
