I feel like closing business because all the terrible clients
- Thread starter adifferenttruth
- Start date
adifferenttruth
New member
one. @adifferenttruth
You already have a solution. You just need to use it. Have a clear and defined scope of work, how many revisions are included, and how much additional revisions cost. Make additional revision expensive so they're worth it for you to do. Add a clause that after revision X pric8ng goes to hourly until they approve the design, then bill for every single minute you spend. That includes phone calls, emails, text messages, labor to donthe revisions, etc.
If they know that making a bunch of changes is going to cost them, they're much less likely to keep making changes. But if they do, you make more money sonics all good
The sooner you get a handle on setting expectations and billing appropriately, the sooner your stress levels go down. The key is setting the expectations very early in the process. People who don't like your policies will self select out. You'll be left with the people ready to pay extra if needed.
You already have a solution. You just need to use it. Have a clear and defined scope of work, how many revisions are included, and how much additional revisions cost. Make additional revision expensive so they're worth it for you to do. Add a clause that after revision X pric8ng goes to hourly until they approve the design, then bill for every single minute you spend. That includes phone calls, emails, text messages, labor to donthe revisions, etc.
If they know that making a bunch of changes is going to cost them, they're much less likely to keep making changes. But if they do, you make more money sonics all good
The sooner you get a handle on setting expectations and billing appropriately, the sooner your stress levels go down. The key is setting the expectations very early in the process. People who don't like your policies will self select out. You'll be left with the people ready to pay extra if needed.
katrinashipman
New member
@benoz I agree with this completely. Something like:
When you put a hard dollar figure on every sing bit of your time, you are projecting silent power and setting a hard border, which engenders more respect.
Those that balk at you charging for time are the type of people that need to have that power over others.
- Bill phone, physical, and office time in increments of 6 minutes (.1 hours) and a flat rate for after hours emails.
- Include a standard bundle into your original contract. Offer bundle packages of the above for lower rates.
- Jack the rates for anything outside of reasonable work hours.
- Bill blocks of dedicated "design time."
- Sell Change Order estimates in blocks "you get ___ estimate requests for $____"
When you put a hard dollar figure on every sing bit of your time, you are projecting silent power and setting a hard border, which engenders more respect.
Those that balk at you charging for time are the type of people that need to have that power over others.
@adifferenttruth There is a book you should read… “Buy back your time” by Dan Martell.
You are ready for it.
You are ready for it.
adifferenttruth
New member
@jewhite95 Ok getting it now. I hope there are worse stories so I feel a bit better. This sounds like a book for me already.
@adifferenttruth This guy was overweight. Got divorced. Into drugs.
Then he pulled himself out and used him
Money to delegate out stuff he didn’t want to do. Business growth exploded. Stress went down to minimal.
You owe it to yourself to read it.
Best of luck.
Then he pulled himself out and used him
Money to delegate out stuff he didn’t want to do. Business growth exploded. Stress went down to minimal.
You owe it to yourself to read it.
Best of luck.
adifferenttruth
New member
@jewhite95 Thanks again
silvereyes
New member
@adifferenttruth Are you normally a people person? Maybe hiring someone to call and just verify their needs might help. You could try to eliminate the one on one time. I’m a stay at home mom and man I could use some people contact! I’d offer!
themadhatter
New member
@silvereyes you know why people/business hire other people?
not because they want to spend money, but because they don't want to deal with Stuff.
Maybe its time to hire a personal assistant
not because they want to spend money, but because they don't want to deal with Stuff.
Maybe its time to hire a personal assistant
adifferenttruth
New member
@silvereyes Not people person at all. I mean I am friendly but no I don’t really like to deal with people in general. I rather speak with cats all day and at the same time do a job 
where are you located?
where are you located?researchertony
New member
@jewhite95 That, and it’s a much bigger piece of the pie for them and they refuse to relinquish control.
scriptblue
New member
@adifferenttruth Your pricing needs to reflect their pettiness. If you think it’s worth $100k, charge $300k.
They don’t care about money. They care about stupendous service tailored to their specific demands.
Understand your clientele or find another line of work or less demanding clients.
They don’t care about money. They care about stupendous service tailored to their specific demands.
Understand your clientele or find another line of work or less demanding clients.
christellanf
New member
@adifferenttruth Alternate practical advice:
Accept that your clients will all be like this.
Triple your fee, with a view to dropping your clients by two-thirds (which I'm guessing you could handle without so much stress).
Some will drop off immediately, awesome. Then of the others that accept your new pricing, fire the most problematic ones till you've reached your target number of clients.
Then lean-in to the work you do for those remaining clients, wow them, manage their eccentricities, look past their shortcomings, under-promise and over-deliver.
For the future, you can set up a waiting-list for your services, and only take someone on if an existing client leaves.
Exclusivity is your friend. You're making this change so you can focus more fully on meeting 'their' needs. If they choose to accept you new rates, they can be sure of getting exceptional service from you.
FWIW, I've done this, albeit in a different context. Scary as heck, but I was surprised that most clients didn't bat an eyelid; in fact some had been wondering why I was originally so 'cheap' and had felt like they'd somehow been taking advantage of me. Go-figure, wish I'd done it a decade earlier :-/
Accept that your clients will all be like this.
Triple your fee, with a view to dropping your clients by two-thirds (which I'm guessing you could handle without so much stress).
Some will drop off immediately, awesome. Then of the others that accept your new pricing, fire the most problematic ones till you've reached your target number of clients.
Then lean-in to the work you do for those remaining clients, wow them, manage their eccentricities, look past their shortcomings, under-promise and over-deliver.
For the future, you can set up a waiting-list for your services, and only take someone on if an existing client leaves.
Exclusivity is your friend. You're making this change so you can focus more fully on meeting 'their' needs. If they choose to accept you new rates, they can be sure of getting exceptional service from you.
FWIW, I've done this, albeit in a different context. Scary as heck, but I was surprised that most clients didn't bat an eyelid; in fact some had been wondering why I was originally so 'cheap' and had felt like they'd somehow been taking advantage of me. Go-figure, wish I'd done it a decade earlier :-/
uneliasihminen
New member
@adifferenttruth I'm not in your exact situation, but the wealthier my clients are the more they want for free. Time is money, and when they micromanage you, that's time on your end. The best thing to do is make sure your contracts spell out exactly what you're doing, and exactly what you're not doing. When they want extra, you charge them for an additional service and make them sign a contract for it. It turns from stress into more money, and turns a client's whim they might not be aware of into a concious choice to request more services.
huilichan8
New member
@adifferenttruth I work clients in that bracket. I bill time all the time. If they want to be nit picky that's totally fine, but the last 5 percent is going to cost them 40 percent more. Some clients pay and some others learn if they want that high of detail it's an expodential curve. I can grit my teeth sometimes because I am making damn good money. Without that money though I wouldn't be able to do it
allbookmark
New member
@larmarine Yep, with contract terms that outline what will cause the contract to be terminated
@adifferenttruth I have a business which can go on and on and if people refuse to approve the final service. I just add lots of extra fees, I add time restraints etc and it really stops them in their tracks. The audacity of some of them knows no bounds... they will even request things that we don't provide because it is out of our scope, like they try to get us to do their end of the work, their extra admin crap which has nothing to do with us. I will say, yeah sure... that is an extra £100.
Boundaries, my friend, or you'll never see the end of it with some fools.
Boundaries, my friend, or you'll never see the end of it with some fools.
adifferenttruth
New member
@paula124 This would drive me even more crazy. It’s not same but kinda similar. There is just one client that is extra rude and told me why don’t you come to look at neighbor XY and see how they did it. This person (I knew it from the beginning but still worked with him) was a very detail oriented person with a mean (way too brutally honest vibe) that I can’t even take.
I assume you are working with people online (?) for me I have to look at their face. Sometimes during the meetings in my mind flies ideas such “it’s time to leave”, “say something” and then “finish professionally and leave”. The third I do and leave just, traumatized
So at beginning do you offer a flat fee for concept and then adds on?
I assume you are working with people online (?) for me I have to look at their face. Sometimes during the meetings in my mind flies ideas such “it’s time to leave”, “say something” and then “finish professionally and leave”. The third I do and leave just, traumatized
So at beginning do you offer a flat fee for concept and then adds on?