Linkswitch - Client Switch
Cyan Ta'eed
We all have days where our clients just drive us crazy. I had one of those days today. With that in mind, here are some links to hopefully ease the pain, and if that fails then count to ten and meditate…
Is your client giving you a hard time? The Positivity blog has a great article about Handling Criticism And Getting Something Good Out Of It.
Is your client asking for something silly that you just can’t agree to? How To Disarm 10 Difficult Client Observations/Requests at Ideas Online covers some of the popular ones and how to deal with them.
Does your client ring mental alarm bells? Then make sure your terms and conditions are up to speed before you begin working with them. Shane has all the answers in this article.
Finally, if none of that works, you may just want to fire your client. Inside CRM has the Top 10 Ways to Fire the Client From Hell. We’ve only had to do this a couple of times, but very occasionally it is necessary!
This Weeks Photo:
This week’s photo is by Mike McCaffrey, a Washington DC based freelance web developer and photographer. He is currently putting together his third local exhibition.
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Sahil
October 27th, 2007
I thought you didn’t freelance anymore, hence no more clients?
riki
October 28th, 2007
Two golden rules from me
1. Stop accepting fixed bid quotes. There’s no point claiming you charge $75 per hour if you end up working two free hours for every hour you get paid. Drop your rates if need be, to something you feel comfortable with, and make sure you get paid for each and every hour.
2. Bill you’re client periodically throughout the development process. Don’t let them build up a massive debt. If they fail to pay on time, make it clear that this will cause delays. If a client owe you thousands of dollars, then they’ve got you by the ball. Don’t let that happen.
I personally not interested in contracts, it’s better to find clients that you trust and can work with. Friends makes the worst clients, they will rip you off the most.
Cyan
October 28th, 2007
@Sahil: I still work with not for profits and some old clients from back in the day. It’s not a regular occurance, but sometimes they’re in a bind and we help out