Happy Clients Newsletter

Home > Select Clients Articles: Bad Client or Difficult Client?

Can You Tell the Difference Between a Bad Client and a Difficult One? Look for These Clues

I used to work with a firm that helped insurance companies develop distribution systems to sell their policies. My boss was an exceptionally smart, discerning, articulate, yet troubled man I will call Phil.

As bright and engaging as Phil was, he was very tough on his vendors. His vendor relationships had a common pattern. He would be welcoming and charming to the sales person. Then he would haggle aggressively on price. Once the price was set low, he would add to his demands. Frequently, his demands would represent a fundamental change in the agreement.

Ultimately, he would be dissatisfied and complain. I remember thinking how crazy this must be for Phil’s vendors. I often wondered why anyone would put up with this treatment.

In my humble opinion, Phil was a bad client!

Perhaps you have a difficult client. Is he or she as bad as Phil? How can you tell the difference between a difficult client and a bad one?

Bad Clients Hold You in Low Regard

Bad clients do not value you, your offerings, or your time. Since they do not value you, they can hurt you. By hurting you, they can actually hurt your good clients.

You have a responsibility to protect your clients by curtailing your work with bad clients.

How Can You Spot Low Regard?

Here are a few clues to help you distinguish between client relationships you should work to repair and those you simply cannot. When you find a client relationship that you cannot repair, it is time to move on.

1. The Target Keeps Moving

Bad clients will often change their requests or demands on you without regard for how those changes influence the work you have already completed or the original agreement.

This does not mean that a change of mind is a sign of a bad client. Your work with a client is likely to educate him or her into a new understanding of the problem. The bad client, however, will perceive you in a bad light because of the change.

2. Communication is Not Open

Phil made this mistake often. He was an excellent listener, and an excellent thinker. But he was very poor at sharing the information in his head. He would often not share his needs, and then act out when they were unmet.

Bad clients will project their understanding or perspective on you. They will choose to believe that everyone else is responsible for knowing what they know.

Each individual observes the world and retains information in a unique way. The only way you can come to understand the perspective of another is through communication. You can help some clients learn to be more open. If your client is unwilling to develop open communication habits, it is time to move on.

3. Reality is Re-Created

Bad clients will have a memory of events that does not correspond to observable phenomena or relational history.

As an example, Phil decided to move our office into a new building and order new office furniture. Among Phil’s choices were workstation partitions with windows. When the partitions arrived, Phil claimed that he did not order the windows. But, that is exactly what Phil ordered!

Re-creation can leave you chasing problems and even questioning your own memory or sanity.

Firing Clients for Fun and Profit

Sadly, there are some clients you are better off not working with. In order to honor the spirit, if not the letter, of your agreement with your good clients, you have to keep your business working optimally.

A bad client can be highly consumptive: of your time, energy, and good will. These are resources you need to serve your more deserving clients.

When you identify a bad client, exit the relationship. Doing so will unleash a heavy burden. You can enjoy your work and build other relationships that are more profitable.

Happy Client Retaining,

If you aren't already a subscriber,
your journey starts with a single click.

If you like this article, you have permission to share this article with your own list, post it on your website, on your blog, or add it to your own autoresponder; so long as you leave it intact and do not alter it in anyway. All links must remain in the article.

And include this at the end of the article:

© 2004-2007 Jeff Simon Consulting. All Rights Reserved. Wouldn't you love to peer into your client's head and know what they are thinking and feeling? Could you have better success at keeping and choosing your best clients if you could decode their behavior? Check out the Happy Clients Newsletter at: www.happyclientsnewsletter.com.

Please notify me when my article is used online or offline.