Client Chaos: Warning signs of a nightmare client

An interesting post I found via the Search Engine Watch newsletter:

Three Warning Signs of a Nightmare Client and why we sometimes don’t heed them

The warning signs are basically distilled to:

“I need to do this as cheap as possible”
…an indication that you’ll spend more time than the effort is worth.”I need it yesterday”
…an indication of lack of planning and foresight.

“My current web designer won’t call me back”
…an indication that the client is difficult to work with.

SearchEngineGuide.com blogged about it from an SEO perspective

Come to think of it, these are pretty dead on. It illustrates how important it is not to take every scrap of work possible. Of course, your economic situation may desperately need it, but at what cost? Don’t take some urgent assignment at the risk of not fulfilling other valued client deliverables.

Plus, don’t trick yourself into thinking that doing the client a favor now will guarantee you the reward of future work.

Finally, don’t be afraid to charge a premium or rush fee. There has to be a penalty for unscheduled work that will cause a strain on your scheduled work.

So, assess the risks and stay in control of the situation.

What do you think? Please post your comments below. Thanks.
-Roland

Roland Reinhart is an interactive marketing professional who has been abused by many clients during his career. His observations can be found at Chaos365.com and AdMadMan.com.

©2006 Roland Reinhart. All Rights Reserved.