God bless the client, no matter how much we can sometimes moan about them, if it wasn’t for the client our industry would become a very quiet, dull and boring place. It is true that I often do different creative projects just as a hobby because I love designing, painting, crafts, or anything else that my wild imagination feels like getting up to on my day off, but we all need clients if we are to survive in turning our love and passion for design in to a lucrative business.

However there is certainly one type of client that we shouldn’t even want to touch with a ten foot barge pole. These clients can really scream project disaster before you even get started, but how can you tell a good client from a much more difficult client right from the word go?

Let’s take a look at the warning signs of a typical difficult client.

Horror Stories

The first thing they approach you with is something which has quite obviously been worked on by many different designers. You make the mistake of asking for an update on the history of this job…really you just want to know what happened to the last designer. This is when you will be given all of the horror stories about the five previous designers who have worked with this client, and none of them were any good at their job, oh and none of them gave the client exactly what they asked for.

If I ever find myself being faced with this sort of situation I can honestly feel my heart sinking and my eyes start to wander as they are trying to find the nearest exit. This client is going to be 100% demanding and 0% satisfied, I honestly just want my mummy at this point before I am eaten alive.

So how much is all of this going to cost me?

Nearly every client I meet is always really enthusiastic about their idea and how they want me to make it work, but you can be sure that a difficult client will always come out with that one line at the end…”Oh and how much is all of this going to cost me, I am on a really tight budget” A difficult client will want the earth but they will not want to pay the price for it, I don’t think they realise that you need to live just as they do.

No matter how much I am pushed for a quote I will never even hint towards a cost while I am sat with a client, I will always come away, do my maths and then submit my quotation.

Never fully commit to anything

Difficult clients have got an absolute talent when it comes to asking loads and loads of questions, but then never fully committing themselves to a working agreement between you both. I have had this happen to me in the past, where a client will request a meeting with me and then another meeting after that, and another etc. There is always some excuse for why this job is being stalled so many times but you are left feeling like an underpaid (or should I say unpaid) tech helpdesk.

Cannot meet you half way

It is fair to say that some clients have had their hand burnt by other designers who have took their money and given them very little in return, I have seen this myself. This can really force a client to be more wary of who they work with and how much they are prepared to give their trust. I have found myself in situations where a client wants to only pay me on results of my work being complete or set targets being met. I can understand the clients thinking and reasons but it is still unfair towards me or any other designer in this situation. If a client cannot trust you and provide working conditions which both people feel comfortable with, your working relationship is already doomed.

They are the expert

I always offer so much consulting throughout my work with all of my clients but a difficult client cannot accept your knowledge or advice. I have found myself many times trying to advise a client until I am blue in the face, but they still don’t want to listen. They know what is best because they have been running their offline business for years with success, so how could they possibly get it wrong when taking it online. When being faced with a client such as this I simply give them exactly what they are asking for, submit my invoice and walk away…but you know who is going to get the blame when it all goes wrong…yes that’s right, it will be you the designer, and the reason why…oh you didn’t give them what they asked for. Even if this type of client pays well, it can still be a good idea to wary of them because word travels fast and even though you gave them exactly what they asked for, who knows what they might be saying about you.

Their best mate is a designer

This has got to be the most used phrase when difficult clients are trying to knock some money off of your quote.

“Well my best mate is a designer and has told me that what I am looking for is really simple and shouldn’t cost me anywhere near how much you are asking for”

I know I shouldn’t but I always have to ask…So why don’t you get them to do it for you then? Most will say that their friend is too busy, but to be honest your services are already being undervalued which isn’t going to lead to a very good working relationship.

Unclear of what they want

Difficult clients just don’t know what they want yet or they choose not to tell you everything because it is a top secret idea which has never been seen or heard of before. Clients like this give me a headache because I find myself intrigued and wanting to dig further in to this clients mind to discover this unique concept they have come up with. I often find such disappointment when discovering that their idea already exists, but my point here is that we cannot work under these conditions because how can we give a true price for the job without clear specifications.

These are only a few of the warning signs telling us that a difficult client is approaching, but at the end of the day clients come in all shapes and sizes, we just have to accept this by taking the rough with the smooth, and if it makes you feel any better just remember that they too will have difficult clients of their own, it’s a fact of being in business.

The only advice I can give to you is to learn from others, have concrete contracts/agreements in place, clear specifications, clear costs, and a late payment procedure.

How do you spot a difficult client a mile off?

Please share your own stories with us in the comment section below.

About The Author:

Michelle Kirkbride

Michelle Kirkbride has many years of experience as a web developer & consultant, she currently lives in Yorkshire, UK with her two beautiful children and loving partner. She spends far too much time at her computer and is currently addicted to her work. Michelle Kirkbride the founder of Kaplang is also a business Mentor with D100, a Success Doncaster mentoring programme run by Deloitte and funded by the Doncaster Council.