Freelancers: When Is It Time to Break Up with a Client?
Freelancing can be a dream come true: you get to choose the type of work you do, who you work with, and promote your passion on your terms. So what happens when you end up with a joy-sucking nightmare? Is it ever okay to break up with a client?
Letting go of a client is tough. Freelancers spend so much time, effort, and money trying to get clients. Because let’s face it: freelancers have a lot to prove. Most of our “pitch” is about building the client’s confidence in our expertise and skills. Once they’re on board, letting them go feels like a huge loss, even when you’re the one leading the breakup.
But let me share from experience that not all clients are worth keeping. Some even do more damage to your freelance business the longer you keep them.
I used to hold onto bad clients for way longer than I should. Now, I use these four red flags as a sign to send a client packing – and actually feel good about it.
Bad Clients Don’t Respect Your Boundaries
It’s an easy trap to fall into: your client sends an urgent email on the weekend. You want to make them feel valued, so you respond. Then that “urgent” email turns into lots of emails after hours. And then they text you. A lot. And expect an immediate response.
Setting and sticking to boundaries is the only way to survive as a freelancer. You’re in control of your work, and when clients want to take control of your processes, your pricing, and YOUR TIME, you simply can’t deliver to the degree you’re capable of.
What’s more, your other clients may suffer in the process while you’re running two machines instead of one.
That said, you need to be consistent about respecting your own boundaries. If you can’t be firm with yourself about after-hours communication or bending to a client’s wishes until you nearly break, how can you hold your clients to those same expectations?
2. Bad Clients Love Scope Creep Without Pay Creep
Bad clients will ask you to add just one extra thing to their deliverable. It will only take five minutes, they swear! That extra thing ends up going several revisions deep, but they promise it will be easier to do every time now that you’ve done it once and know what they want. And they think it should be included in whatever price they’re paying you.
Don’t believe the lie. The worst clients often have the deepest pockets and the shortest fingers. They have the means to pay you what you’re worth but want to squeeze as much “value” out of the process as possible.
I’m all for giving a client their money’s worth. But I stand firmly against projects that snowball in size without charging accordingly.
3. Bad Clients Treat You Like an Order Taker
I started freelancing because I felt like my best skills weren’t being used. I had a lot to share about writing and content marketing and felt my clients could benefit from my expertise. That’s why my clients hire me.
But I’ve also had a client that knew exactly what they wanted and micromanaged all of the work we did together. And I eventually cut them loose.
But why? Why wouldn’t I just do all the things they told me to do? Sounds easy enough.
Let me be clear about the difference between a professional and an order taker. Order takers are task-doers. They go through the motions, check boxes off of lists, and are a means to an end.
Professional freelancers are NOT order takers. We bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to our clients’ projects. We have our clients’ best interests in mind and know if one of their ideas is likely to work or fail.
I don’t mind clients having a vision for our partnership. But skilled freelancers should realize that customers don’t always know what they really want, even if they say they do. It’s up to us to show them the best possible result, not one that’s limited by their own knowledge.
If clients can’t understand this, you’re not going to be able to help them to the best of your ability. It’s just not a good partnership and you should probably break up with a client at this point.
4. Bad Clients Give Zero Direction and Expect Endless Revisions
The polar opposite of a micromanaging client is a non-managing client. They have no clue what they want or need, but they’ll “know it when they see it.” That puts freelancers at a huge disadvantage from the very beginning.
We’re not mindreaders. And we don’t work for free. But that’s exactly what the client expects when we take on projects with absolutely no direction. The client expects us to build the entire structure. Then they tear it down to its foundation and expects us to build it again, in a different direction this time. Rinse and repeat.
But the whole time, they claim they trust your judgment. They know you know what you’re doing. But then they turn around and nitpick everything you’ve done.
How to Break Up with a Client Professionally
When you’re mentally done with a client, all you want to do is scream and tell them what a horrible person they are. And that’s totally okay to do, as long as they don’t hear you. Keep it internal.
In the meantime, freelancers need to proceed with caution. Breaking up with a client can get you off the hook, but it can also blow up in your face if you’re not careful.
Remember, your soon-to-be-ex client can badmouth you on social media, post negative reviews, and tell others not to work with you. No one needs those headaches. So, keep it professional and tactful to help you preserve your reputation (and your sanity).
So how do you break up with a client tactfully?
Here’s the exact script I use to break up with a client through email.
“Hi (first name),
It’s been a pleasure working with you these past X weeks/months/years and I’ve loved getting to know more about (company name).
At this time, I think it’s best for me to step away from our partnership. I feel this is not a good fit for what I offer and for the amount of time I can devote to our projects. I wish you nothing but good fortune in the future.
To your ongoing success,
(Your Name)
Keep it positive and make sure the client is all caught up on payments before you end things.
And most importantly, don’t let them talk you into keeping them. You wanted to break up with a client for a reason, and those reasons won’t simply disappear if they try to renegotiate.
Final Thoughts
I firmly believe in setting the right expectations upfront with each client. This lets them know when you will respond to questions, when you plan on delivering drafts, and what’s included in whatever it is you’re doing for them.
But none of that matters to some clients. And when you end up with a bad one, letting them go can be one of the best decisions you ever make.