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July 29, 2005
I'm So Stupid It Defies Belief
Hello. Thanks for reading.
I really am a very stupid man. You see, I don't take my own advice.
One of the big, big things I've learnt over the years is to not take on clients that raise a few red flags - you know the sort: the one's that you just know are going to be a complete pain in the butt and will be a big loss.
I see rejecting clients (the wrong sort of clients) as as hugely important strategy for business success. Here are the sort of red flags I've come to identify as being a key indicator to keep away from the client:
1. They want a $50,000 web site done for $100
2. They want it finished yesterday
3. They have no understanding of the impact a web site can have on their buisness
4. They're far too busy to meet with you for more than 1/2 hour
5. They tell you how much work you'll get from them down the track if you do this cheap
All The Red Flags And I Still Jumped In
I had a client a few weeks ago exhibit all of the classic signs. I even said to the team here "This client will be a pain in the butt but their are some strategic reasons that I think we should take her on. I hope it works out okay."
Moron
I'm a moron. What was I thinking!
At the moment, assuming we get paid, the loss will be about $2,000. Not much, but enough. The bigger impact has been the energy this person sucks out of our business - you don't want to answer the phone because it might be them, we don't want to make changes to the site because they won't be happy anyway (the site has been approved, and then changed about 6 times as the client wasn't happy) and on it goes.
Never Take On Clients You Don't Think Will Be Great
Rejecting bad clients is just as important as getting good ones.
And I promise I will never make that mistake again.
Cheers
Brendon
Posted by Brendon at July 29, 2005 11:51 AM
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