7 Web Design Clients to Walk Away From
All designers have had that client where you wonder to yourself, after being knee deep in the project, “why did I take this client?”
Knowing how to spot potentially difficult clients comes with experience. The longer you’re in this business the more you’ll run into them and the easier you’ll be able to spot them.
Always trust your gut if you feel a client is going to be trouble. Below are some of the most common types of clients and the warning signs to watch out for.
The Cheapskate
WARNING SIGN: “work with me on this, I promise to have more work in the future”
or
“give me a good deal, I can send you people who need websites“
They tell you how they have projects or jobs that will need doing in the future and if you cut them a break on the pricing, you’ll get more work.
The truth is they’re more likely to use that same line on the next poor schmuck than actually following through with you. This client is more likely to be a problem when it comes to paying.
WARNING SIGN: “don’t have money to start…we can share earnings…a partnership…”
This is a disaster waiting to happen. They’re basically telling you they have no money for a website, you’re only getting paid if the site or business is successful. This client is also likely to be controlling and dictate most of the website’s look and direction, not much of a partnership.
WARNING SIGN: “can you provide some samples or mock-ups before we agree”
They want you to spend time, design samples and concepts for them, and then they will let you know if you can design their site. You can spend hours upon hours designing concepts and then more hours on their revisions and edits. They want all this done without any money upfront and expect you to be timely.
NEVER agree to this type of arrangement, they can easily say that the samples you provided aren’t “working” for them and they’re moving on. You’re left with nothing but lost time.
The Do-it-Yourself-er
WARNING SIGN: “can you design it so I can easily modify it, I know some HTML“
This is a headache, especially if they don’t want a CMS. They will want the site developed in a way that just makes your job harder. The most annoying part of this arrangement will come once the site is complete, when they can’t figure something out. The best way to handle this type of client is to offer a CMS implementation, if they refuse, just walk away.
The Designer (or at least they think so)
WARNING SIGN: e.g. “…we need more colors, how about using several fonts?“
This one could be hard to spot upfront, unless you ask the right questions. Either this client wants all the bells and whistles and thinks the more you have the better, or they have the worst taste in design and don’t know it. This client will not only make their own website look horrific but also damage your reputation. When an honest person asks them “who the hell did your site?!” your name will be attached.
The Lost Client
WARNING SIGN: They don’t return emails or phone calls until weeks later…if at all
They go missing for weeks at a time. You should be able to tell fairly quickly in the beginning if this is the case. This client can string you along for months and sometimes never finish the project. There is also a high probability of having problems tracking the client when it comes to payment, that’s if you ever finish the project.
The Needy Client
WARNING SIGN: They get irritated when you don’t return emails immediately
Prompt responses are good customer service practices, but there is a limit. They want instant and constant attention and updates on their project. They seem to think you are constantly and always working on their project only. They may also want constant one-on-one meetings to discuss the projects progress. This client will spend a lot of your time.
The Vague Client
WARNING SIGN: “I want a site that is simple yet elegant, I’ll know it when I see it”
If you choose to move forward with this type of client, be warned. You’ll probably spend a lot time submitting samples and revisions. They don’t really know what they want but they think they do, they don’t know in what direction to start in. This client will cause a lot of work for you.
The Control Freak
WARNING SIGN: “spacing between each paragraph should be 2cm, 8cm between menu items…”
A client being meticulous and prepared is one thing, but a client who HAS to have it their way is another. When you receive the initial RFP (request for proposal) that is 20 pages long for a 5 page website, you know you have a control freak on your hands.
This is the type of client that needs everything to be exactly like they want, even if it means producing a bad website. They won’t take your opinion on what’s best for the site. They will want every detail of every step explained, about five times. They will most likely dictate the terms of the agreement and may even have you sign an agreement for them. This type of client takes a lot of patience and most likely isn’t worth it.
If you have any client types, stories or quotes, please share them in the comments.
LOL! Thanks for these warnings. Will look out for them when working. Very helpful.
I avoid people who “type leik dis, u see?”
If you can’t take the time to spell properly for me, you aren’t worth my time.
These are grown men, too. *eyeroll*
Yes there are so many clients like mentioned above…but nothing is perfect, you know?….you have to get a bit of patience, and you have to know when to stick and when to leave….just like seth godin said in the dip…btw this is my first comment on your site, and i really like that red + button you have in your replies….very original
LOL. A lot of these “Warning Signs” made me laugh. I’ve had them all. I guess I’m a quick learner though, because I haven’t been doing this for very long and I always drop people like this. The worst is when they want you to redo the design like 27 times and then they get angry because it’s taking too long and costing them too much money.
I’m sure there are dozens more ‘warning signs’ that all designers have come across too.
Thanks for response.
Great Article, the first one you mentioned Cheap Skates rings a bell, instantly reminded me of a guy who wanted a recruitment website done and had a budget of £200. He told me that they needed it as soon as possible, and want to get 20 similar website over the year. He showed me a website that he would like it to function like then a website that he wanted it to look like (something like Ralph Lauren or along those lines i.e singing and dancing) I told him it would take at least a month, he said could I do it in two weeks…, so the guy expected me to do at least a months work in two weeks, which would mean 12 hour + days for £200 with the promise of 20 websites down the line. 20 websites at first sounds great but 20 All singing and dancing websites x £200 = £4000 (a lot of work for not a lot of money), that is if he doesn’t run off with just the one website anyway. I told the guyI couldn’t do it for him, and apparently he is still hassling another friend of mine.
Great list. I think over the years I have had to say no to all of them. Most of these type of people just don’t value other people’s efforts and just want it done for free, because they can’t do it them selves and don’t have any money. With the poor economy, these type of people just multiply.
Some clients just aren’t worth the time and end up costing you in the long run.
If you are in a business you need to study your client as you transact business together, to detect if you have to continue with the customer or not. You have share some useful information on how to spot a bad client that will always draw you backward.
Great article but truth be told I did fall for some in the past and still got them projects neer got paid. beware people get them to give you certain percentage of the amoung agreed before you start working.
Awsome article, very informative thank you
Since I started my freelancing business, I have met all the above clients and I had to let some go despite some real good payment. One client just wanted prompt communication each and every minute , even on the eeh hours of the night!
Yikes, that sounds like a nightmare. The pay sometimes just isn’t enough for what some clients will put you through.
I mainly work as an IT Engineer and I recently had the idea of developing sites on my own to start a small IT company.
For my first all-by-myself project I agreed a fixed price with the owner for the whole project in exchange to not deliver work on short deadlines (I wasn’t sure how long could it take for me to do certain tasks) now I’m trapped to infinity with these guys, they keep asking for new stuff and whenever I mention the final payments they give me that look as if I’m being unprofessional.
I’m getting sick to the bone with this and the worst thing is that I can’t bail as a relative works for this ugly monster from hell.
Anyway I just bumped into this site and when I saw this post I felt like sharing for my mind’s sake hehe good day I’ll try to pick up some ideas from here, thanks!
OMG….Those things are SO TRUE!!! Thanks for putting these info out there!!! More people need to read about it!! LOL
Sometimes I think we designers might have one of the hardest jobs….well….sorta! hehehehe
Keep up all the good work everyone!!
Great article here!
I manage a blog that specializes in articles about the “business of design”. Articles like this one would really be wonderful for the blog. Perhaps you’ve heard of it: GraphicDesignBlender.com. Anyway, I would love to invite you to be a guest writer on GDB. If you are interested, please email me.
The advice that I’ve seen which seems the most effective (haven’t had an opportunity yet to try it myself – fortunately) is to give them a metaphor they understand, since no one seems to understand what exactly goes into design.
I saw a comic strip recently (wish I had saved it) where a car dealer says asks a designer to make a site for free and in return, he’ll put the designers name on the site and drive traffic that way. The designer responded “How about you give me a free car and I’ll put your dealership on a bumper sticker. That way when people see it, it’ll drive traffic to your business.” or something along those lines. Clever.