What to Do if Your Client is a Bully
If your clients are all wonderful, kind, understanding folks, then you might want to read this just in case one of them pulls a Jekyll & Hyde…
We all have our fair share of “difficult” clients. Some want constant updates, some don’t pay their bill on time, others are hard to get in touch with, but rarely does a client exist who is just plain mean, a bully. I had a client who was very friendly, willing to work with me, seemed to trust my judgment, and everyone in his office that I dealt with was the same way. We had a great working relationship for over a year, until one cloudy, wintry afternoon, when everything changed.
This client told me he had a large project coming up. It’s always nice to be forewarned so as to plan ahead. When the project finally arrived, it was twice the size he had originally promised. Wanting to please him, I scrambled to find enough help in order to complete twice as much in the same amount of time. We got an early start and were working ahead of our usual pace.
All of a sudden, this client decided to send me a list of the order in which to turn in each separate component of this project, which was different than the order in which he sent them to me in the first place. All hell broke loose. I was trying my darndest to keep him happy and switch gears to match the new list. He became demanding of my time, wanting constant updates, wanting me to call him. (I don’t do phone calls, especially when someone is trying to dictate to me how to do my job.)
I had been in constant communication with this client, sending updates, sending files as they were completed. Well, come to find out, he had been promising his client things that were not possible, and had not checked with me first to make sure they could be done. So he had himself in a pickle and was trying to project it on me and have me take the blame for what he messed up.
This situation got so bad, my physical health was being compromised, and I “fired” my client. I sent what I had completed to date and said, “I’m sorry, but I am no longer able to offer my services on this project.” Did I think I’d hear from him again? No, but if this was the way he was treating me under the pressure that he created, I didn’t need that in my life. That’s why I’m working for myself–I don’t have a boss to dictate how I should be spending my time. I know best how to get my job done.
He sent me an e-mail saying something about my “lack of communication,” when all along, I had been communicating to him as I always had, probably even more, bending over backwards to try and accommodate his project. Nothing I did made him happy. I choose to not be treated that way. I don’t need any more drama in my life, and no bullies allowed!
The moral of my story is that if you are self-employed and have your own business, don’t feel as if you have to pander to difficult clients. Hopefully your great clients vastly outweigh your not-so-great ones, and you can afford to cut off the bad ones and leave the good. It’s not worth your health or happiness to cater to mean, abusive people. Maybe your rejecting them is what it takes to make them realize their wrong ways!
I was a bit worried at first since this client gave me a large percentage of my income, but things have worked out very well. Work has been steady and I’ve even gained a few more great clients that I might not have had time for if I’d continued with the bully. I have peace of mind and I know I made the right decision. Never let anyone try to take over your operation! You’ve been successful and you know how to make things work to your advantage, so keep up the great work.
