How To Break Up With a Toxic Client.
Have you ever used that old saying, “it’s not you, it’s me” but in reality, it’s 1000% about them? Breaking up is hard to do, but a toxic date is so much easier to kick to the curb than a toxic client. How do we know if a client is actually toxic and not just difficult? Let’s start with some habits that indicate you have a bad apple in the bunch:
𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁? 𝗬𝗼𝘂’𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗼𝗻 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝟮𝟰/𝟳? 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂!!--Toxic clients expect an immediate response, regardless of the hour, or they have unrealistic expectations about the turnaround time on projects. Additionally, any client that has to be constantly reminded to hold up their end of the agreement (by paying their bill on time, or providing the necessary information or materials) isn’t a good fit.
𝗖𝗮𝗻’𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗱𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗲𝘅𝘁𝗿𝗮 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴?–Occasionally, a client will ask for something that's outside the scope of your agreement, but typically they understand and respect boundaries when you point them out. If your client is constantly and repeatedly asking for things they know are unreasonable, that’s a red flag.
𝗗𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗸𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝗽𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲?–Clearly, anyone who is verbally abusive or threatening is an automatic no. Additionally, anyone who is (and this is a scientific term) a hot steaming turd of a human, who mentally and emotionally exhausts you and your staff should be shown the door without hesitation.
So, now that we know the signs and we have identified who needs to go, how should you handle the “breakup”? First, check your contract if you have one. Make sure you are fulfilling all of your obligations–it never hurts to check with your attorney to make sure everything is done right. Second, finish all the work you owe them so you can say goodbye with a clean slate. Last, practice what you will say. Keep it simple, and stick to your guns. Something along the lines of, “I appreciate our working relationship, but I no longer think we are a good fit. I wish you the best of luck in the future” is short, sweet and to the point.
It’s always a good policy to surround yourself with people that bring out the best in you, and business is no different. You should not feel guilty about letting go of anyone that doesn’t align with your values.
Have you ever had to “fire” a client? How did you handle it, and what would you do differently? Let us know in the comments!
