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How to Screen for Bad Clients
How you can effectively screen out bad design clients before they ever become a problem for you.
Overview
Throughout the course of your design career, you will invariably find yourself in situations where you’re faced with the challenge of dealing with problematic clients.
It’s not your fault. Design schools or bootcamps will almost never teach you how to navigate these waters, and most design “gurus” conveniently gloss over this part of the industry.
That stops here.
Today, you’ll learn how you can effectively screen out bad design clients before they ever become a problem for you.
The four types of clients
First thing’s first, in order to make the most out of your design activities while creating the most value, and dealing with the least BS, you need to know the four types of clients that exist out in the world.
Granted all clients exist within this matrix as mixed combinations of these categories, but they will almost always have one dominant category they belong to, and that’s the one you want to pay the most attention to.
They are:
- Cheap clients
- Difficult clients
- Sophisticated clients
- Affluent clients
Let’s talk about each in more detail.
Buyer profiles
→ Cheap clients: these clients buy based on price, and price alone. They don’t care what you offer, or how valuable it is. If they deem it to be too expensive, they won’t buy from you, or they will beleaguer you with infinite requests for a discount. Don’t do it. Once you lower the price for them one time, they’ll expect it forever.
→ Difficult clients: these clients buy based on features. They want the bells, the whistles, the fireworks shows. They want to feel like they’re being catered to, and they want a plethora of features to choose from. They want it their way or no way at all, even if it would be bad for…
