With the recent discussions on difficult clients I thought I'd post this article so we can discuss how to implement some of the recommendations in our own businesses.

Let me know what you've done already as a preventative measure against difficult clients.

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Kylie Short
Tilda Virtual Services - Making virtual personal

I have a potential client I have been in negotiations with for about 1 month. They are a start-up and unclear about their needs, I have been very clear on how I can help and what it will cost. I spent a large amount of time meeting with them in person (they are 1-1/2 hours from where I live), drafting a specific contract and separate proposal of work (broken down by task with a resolution for each task), and numerous phone conversations which all end with we are signing and ready to go. Each time I receive an email a few hours later requesting ridiculous things. I would really like to sign this client it's for 50 hours per month for 4 months and then will scale down to about 20 which would be perfect - plus it would be a great resource for future references. I finally sent an email, which was professional but VERY firm indicating that this is my final offer and I cannot spend any additional time without a signed contract and payment. I received a response shortly after stating that they wanted to work with me and they would discuss my email and get back to me....... Still waiting, I'm sure I will hear from them this week, but my radar is up and I won't budge no matter how much I need the $$$$$. I will keep you all posted.

Donna

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Donna Cravotta
Virtual Management Concepts LLC
www.virtualmanagementconceptsllc.com

That was a good article. It took me awhile to determine who my ideal client really was and when my mind was set, I knew that I had to end a relationship with one client in particular. I finally did it last week and feel as if a weight has been lifted off my shoulder.

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Dawn Riley
A Virtual Assistant in Paradise
Our business is about making yours better

Donna

did you ever hear from that client? what was the outcome i am interested in hearing?

I ended up having a discussion with them right after sending the email and explained that the services I offer are more of a blanket of administrative services and are hard to nail down into a contract before we start working together and spending time trying to anticipate every need into a contract was not a good use of time. What we ultimately agreed to was to do a monthly retainer and reevaluate at the end of each month. So far it's been 2 months and we have done tons of work together, but nothing that was stated on the contract. They are happy and actually very nice people. It was totally worth standing my ground, I ultimately got my message across and set a standard for adhering to my business policies.

Thanks for asking and sorry I have not followed up. I'm happy to say I have been very busy and have not had mush time for forums lately!

Donna

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Donna Cravotta
Virtual Management Concepts LLC
www.virtualmanagementconceptsllc.com

Every area of business has difficult clients. I think that being clear from the start helps with these clients. Clear, firm and simple.