Are You Ignoring Your Instincts?

Do you ever find yourself working harder and longer for one client but hating it? And making less money than with other clients? Do you sometimes feel like this client must have some mystical power over you?

They do. They’ve got your number. They know which buttons to push. Which chain to yank.

Sometimes they do it intentionally because that’s just who they are. Often, it’s unintentional, but still a normal way of working for them.

Is it just you?

Not likely. That doesn’t let you off the hook, though. Chances are you’re not listening to your gut. Not paying attention to that inner voice. Following your intuition. Ignoring your instincts.

You started freelancing because you wanted to call your own shots. It’s not unusual for us to fall back into the trap of working for the Man.

Usually, we keep putting up with the pain of working for that one particular client because we’ve convinced ourselves that we’re:

• not good enough to find any better clients
• need the work we’re doing for them for our portfolios
• don’t want to hurt their feelings
• don’t want to come across as a quitter
• add your own rationalization here

You are not alone. Thousands of freelancers have suffered through the same situation, time and again. And thousands have figured out how to escape the agony of the whiny, passive-aggressive, bullying, nitpicking stalker-client. You can too.

First, be clear on how you operate.

You need a system

Take an hour and write down exactly how you would like to work on your ideal project from start to finish. Keep it simple:

• Client contact: one hour discussion to get basic idea of project, provide rate sheet, understand goals of project, get client ideas based on other projects/websites/content.
• Proposal: develop proposal with details about client goals, likes/dislikes, rates, contract. Get client approval and initial payment.
• Prototype: develop three quick prototypes based on client discussion, present to client, get client feedback, incorporate client feedback.
• Review: develop polished version, review with client, narrow down changes.
• Final: make final changes, review with client, demonstrate how design/content meets client goals, get approval and final payment.

Presenting a client with a roadmap makes it easier for you to control the project on your terms. When the client strays outside of the parameters you’ve agreed upon, you have a tool for either adding to the proposal for an additional fee, indicating to the client that the request is outside the terms of the agreement, and refusing to do the work or taking on the work as a favor. Using a proposal and a clearcut roadmap puts you in control.

Pay attention to your instincts

If the client is really making you uncomfortable, cut your losses and cancel the deal. There are just some clients who always take advantage. That’s how they operate. You’re not going to change them, make them be reasonable, or convince them to understand your point-of-view. They don’t care about your point-of-view. The sooner you grasp that concept, the better off you will be.

Now, if every client turns out to make you uncomfortable, you need to consider whether or not you’re cut out to be a freelancer. The odds of every client being a jerk are pretty low. Either you are just too sensitive to be handling client relationships or you have a low self-esteem problem that leads you to lousy clients and working situations.

The solution is two-fold: work on your self-esteem through reading, classes, therapy, hypnosis, or some other combination of tools, and get somebody to work with you who can do the client relationship management. You may need to split the pay, but by splitting the effort, you should easily double your project load.