Photo by karindalziel.

Even though it’s almost Fall and it isn’t snowing yet, the flakes are everywhere.

Flakes—as in, clients. Chances are you’ve dealt with some flakes: clients that don’t call back or believe in confirming appointments and such. They’ve always got an excuse and they always want more of your time—for no charge, of course.

Here’s how to identify flakes and cope with clients who just can’t put one foot in front of the other.

Wet flakes

You know those flakes that come down and look so great, but never stick? Yep, those are the wet ones. The client is nice and things look pretty from afar, but there’s no accumulation (or in our case, money). An example of a wet flake would be the type of client that tells you their grand plans yet can never set anything in stone. Or the one that misses meetings yet apologizes profusely and always has some sort of heart-wrenching excuse. The best thing to do in this case is throw the ball in their court. For example, you can tell them it’s okay they missed the meeting and when they’re ready to sign the contract, set deadlines and get moving, you’re more than willing to help. In my case, if I’ve given them a free consultation, I tell them that I can hold more meetings with them but they’re going to be billed.

Common verbal excuses:

• “That sounds nice. Let me call around and see if there’s anyone else I’d like to use.” (After you’ve taken the time to explain how things work and write up specific rates and an estimate for the client. No fault there, but still flaky.)
• “I’ll get back to you on this.” (And they never do, leaving you to wonder if you should call back, and how much follow up is needed. When you do hear back, they rush you off the phone but say they’re still interested.)
• “Naaa, I’ve decided I’m not going to do that right now.” (After you’ve had a consultation, collected materials and are just about to get the contract signed. And yes, after they’ve left you hanging by phone and email, not returning any messages.)

Tiny flakes

A tiny flake is similar to a wet flake in that they need some pushing, but these types of flakes move in micromovements, so you’re not sure if they’re going to accumulate either. Instead of a free consultation, they want your time in a series of discussions. Or they want you to participate in a few useless meetings until they decide they’re ready to use you on the project. Or they want you to do part of the work free so they can “see” what it’s like. Best bet again is to toss the ball in their court and set your boundaries. Attend the meetings if you want the gig—but make sure it’s part of what you’re getting paid for instead of giving away a bunch of freebies. And make sure they’ve signed something and you’ve tossed some deadlines at them to keep things moving. It’s fine to give people time to think about things. While you shouldn’t rush clients, you do want to make sure you’re on the same timeline as them.

Common verbal excuses:

• “Why don’t you call me next week and we’ll talk about this some more?” (After you’ve spent a half hour talking to them last week and another half hour repeating how things will work this week.)
• “I think I’m going to need to think about this for a while.” (After they’ve had weeks or months to ponder things and you’ve given them everything they need to get started.)

Icy flakes

These are the mean ones. The ones that, after you remind them you had yet another meeting they didn’t make, have the nerve to get nasty. In my opinion, the best thing you can do with this type of flake is assess if they’re really worth it. We’ve all missed an appointment by mistake but if someone has the nerve to get spiteful with you, chances are you don’t want to work with them. If you do, be polite and set your boundaries—and proceed with caution as they can turn into a blizzard.

Common verbal excuses:

• “I’m really busy here so I’d like you to just get this done for me.” (After they don’t let you make a pitch, won’t give you any background material but expect you to deliver the finished product yesterday with little to no guidance.)
• “I’ve been sitting in my office waiting for you to call back.” (After they missed your phone appointment, had your number and never bothered to try to hit you back.)

Even though the warmer climates are among many of us, flakes will still rain down from time to time. The best thing to do is recognize them and stand your ground. While we all want to be accommodating to our clients, we need to institute the controls to ensure that our time is respected, too.

And if you’re not into snow, you can always flake out on a flake, I suppose.

Kristen Fischer is a freelance writer and author living in New Jersey. She is the author of Creatively Self-Employed: How Writers and Artists Deal with Career Ups and Downs.

Kristen Fischer

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