10 red flags to look out for in potential freelance clients
Don’t assume the worst in everyone, but here are some warning signs and how to deal with them
Difficult clients aren’t the norm (despite what a lot of doom and gloomers will tell you), but they do crop up. Today, I wanna talk you through the warning signs that someone is gunna be a right pain in the ass and not worth the money to work with.
You deserve better than pisstakers
It is way too fucking easy to fall into the “but what if I never work again” mindset as a freelancer, but let me tell you from experience, the more difficult the client the harder they are to get rid of. Boy howdy did I run straight towards those red flags in my first year.
I want to help you do things a bit differently. So, I’ve put together a list of things to look out for when interacting with potential clients. They are not all signs to immediately run away, but certainly signs that you should pay very close attention to what they do next.
10 warning signs of a difficult client
As usual, we’ll go through them quick fire here and if you want more info, scroll down for a more nuanced take on what these all mean.
Will not sign a contract
Want you to scrap your late payment fees
Ask you to add scope without budging on price
Consistently interrupt or talk over you on your intro call
No-show without explanation
Negotiate every detail of your proposal
Say something (or several things) that go against your values
Get shitty with you if you don’t respond within a few hours
Can do it themselves but just don’t have time (there’s a lot of nuance to this one)
Won’t pay a deposit
Onto the more nuanced discussion of it all as well as some tips for how to handle each situation.
1. Will not sign a contract
For me, this is a straight up no. A big fat flaming red no. I don’t work with anyone who won’t sign a contract because a contract is there to protect both sides. It sets out payment terms, dates, project timelines, what’s included, what isn’t, ways of working, and all that good stuff. No contract, no work. As simple as that.
How to deal with this: dump them.
(If you want more info about creating a tight freelance contract, I’ve got a post coming for paid subscribers later this month).
2. Want you to scrap late payment fees
My late payment fees are pretty steep because this is my income and I don’t fancy getting screwed over. A green flag client won’t question it. An amber flag client might negotiate it down (this has happened before and we’ve managed to come to an agreement that involved compromise on both sides. More on that in the post about contracts later this month).
A red flag client will ask you to scrap them altogether. Don’t listen to them. Late payment fees are standard practice across freelancing. If someone tells you to scrap the payment fees or they’ll find someone else, let them leave. This to me just screams “we cannot be trusted to pay you on time”.
How to deal with this: negotiate terms. Be open to discussion but know where your line is in terms of how quickly you require payment and how much you’re willing to change the fees.
3. Added scope with no change to budget
Changes in scope when you’re figuring out the project are totally fine and valid. You send off the proposal and it’s natural that a client may want to take part of the project in house or add a few extra pages to their website, etc. What isn’t ok though is a client adding in scope without budging on the price.
This is a big warning sign that they are a bargain hunter and will likely add some scope creep later on. Don’t cut ties immediately though. Tell them the additional cost for the new scope and see how they react. Their reaction will tell you if it’s safe to continue.
How to deal with this: give them the price for the additional work and see how they react. If they say that’s cool/reasonable/makes sense, you’re golden. If they kick up a stink, dump them.
4. Consistently interrupt and/or talk over you in your intro call
As an ADHDer, I understand on a personal level that this isn’t always someone being rude. Sometimes folks get excited and have too many ideas or questions. Sometimes, however, it is a power play that allows them to show you that they are the ones in control.
When you work with a client, you form a partnership. You are on level footing. They are not your boss (we didn’t get into this minefield just to deal with more shitty bosses now, did we?). It’s important everyone in this process is treated with respect.
How to deal with this: check in with yourself after the call. Is this a vibe you are happy to continue with for the next several weeks/months of your life? If it is, great! Move ahead to the next stage. If not, tell them you’re not the right fit for the project and you hope they find the right person soon.
5. No-show without explanation
This is always a stinker. You’ve prepped for the call, scoped their website/social media/relevant business stuff, taken notes, gotten ready for the call, and then nothing. No email, no message, no show. Now you’ve wasted a bunch of time and disrupted your day for nothing.
For me, as an autistic freelancer, this can ruin my whole day. I had a schedule, the plan changed without warning, and now I can’t function properly. So I have a zero tolerance policy to no showing.
However, if you don’t have this sort of brain, there is a more diplomatic way to approach it.
How to handle this: stay on the call for 5-10 mins. Send them an email checking to see if they are ok, if they need support with anything, and a link to rebook. If you don’t hear from them, good riddance. If you do, they may have a reasonable explanation. It’s up to you if you wanna proceed.
6. Negotiate every detail of your proposal
This reeks of micromanaging and if they’re like this now, it will probably continue to happen throughout the project. I don’t know about you, but this is not the sort of vibe I’m here for. They will not pay you enough for the mental and emotional labour that comes with working with a micromanaging energy vampire.
How to handle this: dump them
7. Say something (or several things) that go against your values
This is a pretty clear cut one for me, personally. I have a zero tolerance policy towards sexism, racism, homophobia, transphobia, or anything from the political right. I am not here to make money for shitty people so that’s a big no thank you.
Take some time to figure out what your boundaries are here and how much you’re willing to let slide. Not everyone is going to be as hard line as I am about this and that is totally cool. Find what works for you.
How to handle this: If this isn’t an instant “fuck this” for you, there is power in your contract.
In your section about cancelling the contract, add in some terms about your ability to cancel the agreement if the client engages in abusive behaviour or makes you feel uncomfortable. That way you’re covered if things get out of hand later down the line.
8. Get shitty with you if you don’t respond within a few hours
Oh boy, do some prospects LOVE to treat their freelancers like employees. If you are working outside IR35 (you will be unless specifically stated and it’s usually reserved for contract work), they are not allowed to dictate your working hours or location. So frankly, they can jog on.
This is a client who will demand your attention at every waking moment and will make your life miserable. Micromanaging, (passive) aggressive, energy vampire. Thank you, next.
How to handle this: dump them
9. Can do it themselves but just don’t have the time
This one is a bit more nuanced than the others because it comes with a lot of caveats and context. For example, if it’s an in-house SEO team who don’t have the time to do additional audit work, that’s cool. You can assess the vibes and see what they need. They’ll be more involved in the project than other clients but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
If, however, it’s someone who likes to tell you they know everything and they’re just outsourcing because someone else needs to do it, that can be a major warning sign. And yes, it’s another one for micromanaging. The biggest flags here are mansplaining and talking down to you. If either of those things happen when you first talk to them, it won’t be the only time.
How to handle this: take some time to assess how you feel after the call/email exchange. If they were rude, dump them. If they are willing to learn from you, keep going. But always trust your gut.
10. Won’t pay a deposit
If you don’t pay, I don’t work. Simple as that. Now, it can be more complicated for retainer-based work but I personally always suggest payment upfront with a set outline of deliverables. Scope creep can be invoiced for the following month.
On the whole, if someone won’t pay a deposit, especially to secure your time in advance, they don’t want to commit to the investment because they’re gunna flake. Or because they can’t be trusted to make further payments.
How to handle this: dump them (pending contract structure caveats mentioned above)
Go forth and find better people to work with
Again, I want to be so clear that red flags are a rarity, but it’s important as self employed folks that we keep an eye out for them to protect ourselves. There’s nothing worse than the awkward “fuck this shit but in corporate” conversation midway through a project.
How did I learn about all of these? Sadly, many of them I saw but ignored because I was desperate for work and then regretted every decision I’d ever made for the entire time I worked with them. Don’t do that to yourself, friends. Stay safe out there.
Stay tuned for a helpful post about freelancer contracts later this month, exclusively for paid subscribers.
I work with freelancers on a 1:1 basis to help them move past their anxieties and set up a business that really, finally works for them. Find out more about how 1:1s for freelancers work.
If you’re just here for the vibes and the free advice, that’s cool too. Speak soon.