Working with others is never easy. If the world was ideal, every client you work with would be your dream client, and every project would be completed without a glitch. Unfortunately, the reality is always different, and, as good as your intentions may be, bad timing, misunderstandings, and personality clashes always pose a risk. Fortunately, there are ways to get ahead of potential problems if you know what to look for.
Let’s look at some of the most common client red flags:
They Won’t Use a Contract: It would be difficult to find a bigger red flag than this. A working agreement covering project goals, pricing, timelines, and deliverables should be essential. If your client is shying away from signing a contract with you, let that be a sign that should stay far away. In addition, be wary of clients who won’t read the contract, try to negotiate or remove things from the contract, or refuse to agree to certain things.
They Have Unrealistic Expectations: Chances are you will run into more than your fair share of clients with unrealistic expectations. These clients demand all your time, your absolute best work for the least amount of money, and want it all now. The best way to avoid conflict in this area is clear communication with your client from the beginning (Hint: This is where your contract comes in). Make sure that goals, timelines, processes, and budgets are all understood and agreed upon.
They Can’t or Won’t Communicate: A client who can’t explain their goals, or has only a vague notion of the project at hand is a huge red flag. In addition, if your client doesn't respond to emails, requests for feedback, or important deadlines it can lead to big delays in your project. Make your communication expectations clear to your client from the start. You may be taking on the lion’s share of the work for their project, but let them know that they have responsibilities too.
They Ask For Spec Work: Spec work. Take a minute to take in those words. Now imagine them in huge, flashing neon letters. This is the image that should come to mind whenever anyone asks you for spec work.
If you're not familiar with the term, spec work (or speculative work), is work a client expects you to do for free. For example, you may have a client that needs a logo. They’re not sure if they want to hire you as their designer, so they ask you to design a few logos and, if they like one, they’ll pay you.
Let’s stop right there and consider the situation.
The client wants to use your time, energy, knowledge, and talent. They’ll pay you, but only if they decide they like something you’ve created. If they don’t like your work, then you’re left with basically nothing (except for wasted time and energy, of course). To put it clearly, a client asking for spec work is taking advantage of you. Don’t let them. Your time, energy, and skill have value and it’s your responsibility and right to let your clients know that. Never work for free. Ever.
They Have Zero Boundaries: Clients who don’t respect boundaries and expect you to be available at all times can be a huge problem. Especially if you know you won’t be getting paid for all the extra time you spend consulting with your client. One way to avoid this problem is to have clear office hours that your client agrees to. Post your office hours on your website and/or have them printed on business cards and make sure your client has a copy. If you prefer, you can even add your office hours to your contract. If you find your client is violating your boundaries, politely remind them of the importance of your time, and assure them that you will take care of their concerns when appropriate.
They Keep Moving the Goal Posts: Although it can happen in nearly any business “scope creep” is especially common in the design industry. Scope creep is any deviation of a project from the original scope by adding new goals and/or requests for more work. Say you and your client have agreed on a contract that requires you to design a new logo and website. During the process, your client suddenly decides they want you to design product packaging and other branded collateral. That, my friend, is scope creep. It’s additional work that wasn’t included in the original contract or discussed during project goal planning. In this situation, you have a choice. You can either choose to say no or agree to the additional work by setting up and agreeing to a new contract that includes the clients’ requests.
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