May 17, 2017

Red Flags

Life is too short to work with bad clients.

And by “bad clients” I specifically mean “clients for whom you are not a good fit.”

Taking on bad clients just because you need the money is a short term solution that creates a long-term problem:

You end up getting paid poorly for work you hate.

Over. And over. And over...

Wash rinse and repeat.

In my 10+ years of consulting, I have learned to spot bad (for me) clients early in the sales cycle by being sensitive to certain interactions that I consider to be “red flags”:

Whenever I have ignored these red flags, I have ended up regretting it.

NOTE: My list is not meant to be used verbatim. Some of your red flags will probably be different from mine. Make your own list—and stick to it!

Yours,

—J

P.S. Implicit in a message like this is that you should be turning down work from prospects who are less than ideal for your business. If you’re not in a position to turn down bad clients, we should talk.

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