đźš©Red flags I look out for in clients (as a freelance creative)
I haven’t been freelancing for long, but I’m already learning a ton of lessons — one of which is spotting the warning signs of a project packed with problems. Even if the project sounds fun, there are a few, small triggers that tell me a lot about what it would be like to work with that particular client.
TL;DR — Always look at the person/people you’d be working with, and make sure you know what you’re getting into. It’s not a lost cause if you notice any red flags, but you should know what they are and have a game plan if you see them.
I’m not saying that if red flags come up, it’s a kill-switch “no.” I actually think a lot of these can be worked around and ironed out, provided there’s an open conversation and a mutual agreement for going forward.
But that’s part of what I’ve learned, that: Knowing what red flags look like, is the first step towards knowing how to deal with them when they arise. If you can spot them early enough, you can address them without much difficulty. In my experience, it’s much harder (almost impossible) to deal with them retroactively. So, nip them nice and early!
Here are some of the things that trigger my alarm bells when I hear them. Feel free to add your own!
If you’re reading this as a freelance creative, remember that — most of the time — clients are not out to get you. They’re just trying to solve a problem, and are doing it as best as they know how. Work with them, not against them. It’s a partnership.
If you’re reading this as a client, and you find yourself doing some/all of these things, I want you to know that I appreciate that your intentions are good. I don’t blame you for any of these! In fact, I completely understand. I hope that this helps you rephrase, or reframe, some of these scenarios, and enables us to approach them differently in future. :) Go team!
Trigger: If they say “I’d normally do this myself…”
This simply tells me that they’re not used to working with someone else, and will probably feel very attached to their own style or way of doing things.
Given that I’m a different human being to them, and not a clone, everything I do will be different to how they’d do it themselves, and I’ll probably spend most of my time making edits and changes until the very last second. I am not them; so, I will never be able to meet the expectations they have coming into this.
Response
Very simply, clarify with them what they’re expecting from you. You can even say: “Do you want me to stick very strictly to your specs, or are you OK with me making some suggestions and changes to the idea during the process?”
If they say “no”, you can have a discussion and explain your system and style to them (maybe it won’t work out, but you saved yourself a lot of unpaid time), and if they say “yes” then at least they aren’t surprised when it’s not exactly what they asked for. Just get on the same page before you start, and you’re OK!
Trigger: If they don’t have a clear brief
Now, bear in mind that I don’t mean everyone needs a written document, laying out all of their specific requirements up front. All I want to see is that they have a good idea of what they want to achieve, who it’s going to be for, and where they want it to go.
Not having a clear brief inevitably means that they’ll chop and change their mind a number of times throughout the project — and not the “I like where this is going, what about X?” kind. I’m talking about the 180-degree, “Hold on, I just had this crazy idea: What do you think of something like…” It just makes the project so much longer, and so much harder to nail down.
Response
This will change for everyone depending on the kind of freelancing you do, but I have a list of prompt questions that I send to everyone who seems to be on the fence about what they want. I get them to reply via email, and that exercise normally helps them think through the details that give their idea more direction. The questions I ask include:
- What about your business / hobby / passion project makes you jump out of bed in the morning?
- Describe the kind of person you’re hoping will see this design, and absolutely love it: How do they look, what are they wearing, what do they do for a living, how do they spend their free time?
- How do you want someone to feel after they’ve seen this?
- What’s the one thing you want someone to remember after seeing this design?
Trigger: If the money to pay you is “incoming”
This trigger is perhaps a more obvious one for most people, and even though no one’s ever not paid me, I’ve had my fair share of spending two or three months after a project is done, chasing up on balances due.
Even with a contract (although it’s a little better then), it’s risky business getting into a project while the funds are still “incoming”, because the time I spend on back-and-forth emails after a project is done takes time away from new clients. And that potentially makes their experience a worse one. It’s just not worth the overhead.
Nothing personal; I just don’t enjoy spending my time doing that.
Response
A little trickier here, and this is totally up to you. I have a late fee added into the contract I sign with clients, which gives me some reassurance that they have an incentive to pay on time.
However, you have every right to be up front with clients and say that it’s a principle you follow to not get into project agreements where money “trickles” in, or isn’t certain. Either they can guarantee payment somehow, or if they still need your services later when they have the money, they can reach out again.
In any case, they’ll probably struggle to find someone who will confidently get into an agreement, without knowing for sure when they’ll be paid.
Trigger: If they say “This is just a passion project / hobby of mine”
I’m putting this one here with a caveat, because I have had people say this and still be stellar clients to work with. However, this generally makes me a little uneasy because passion projects and hobbies don’t generally earn money, which means people are not as willing to invest money into them.
People with this mindset are normally looking for a fun, quick, affordable job, and will probably be hesitant with the initial invoice… Which they’re totally allowed to do, by the way! There’s nothing wrong with that at all. It’s just not the work I do.
Response
I tend to explain to clients that the kind of freelance work I do (design) is charged based on the client, and not the project. Nike will pay a lot more for a logo than a small bakery, for example. So, I am quite open to discussing how valuable something is to the client, and how much they’re willing to invest into it.
Sometimes we manage to negotiate something that works for everyone, but sometimes they’re just looking for a favour in return for “exposure.” Speaking of…
Trigger: If they say “Would you give me a discount if I share it around and tell people about it?”
Unless they’re a celebrity (and even then I’d feel kind of meh about it), I can generally share it myself and generate the same amount of exposure. It doesn’t really help me that much. It also tells me that they probably don’t value creative work that much, and will probably not take my feedback or opinions very seriously. If someone went into a tailor, saw the price of a suit, and asked whether wearing it at parties would get them a discount, they probably don’t understand or appreciate the work that goes into making it.
Response
Depending on the person, I sometimes try to turn this around on them, and ask whether their business would do that for me. If that doesn’t apply, then I just acknowledge and appreciate their willingness to share my work around, but explain that exposure is not a priority right now, and that doesn’t really equate in value to being paid for the time I spend on projects. They generally understand where you’re coming from, and are either happy to negotiate the initial invoice, or move on without being offended.
Trigger: If they say “Can you send me some drafts before I decide to work with you?”
I completely understand client-designer alignment. I think it’s crucial. But I do feel uneasy when someone wants to “vet” me before we work together. I appreciate people having a vision in mind, but very specific expectations that need “testing” tells me that they have one path they won’t budge on, regardless of whether my judgment is good or bad.
If you want to see my work, here’s my portfolio. If you want to know what it’s like to work with me, here are some testimonials. If they need more than that, I get skeptical. I’m not here to spend hours on the groundwork for a project, just to be told they don’t want to work with me.
Either we work together, or we don’t work at all. I want to partner with you; not work for you. (That’s why I freelance, remember?)
Response
I start by asking whether sending through my portfolio and some testimonials would suffice for them to get the impression they’re looking for.
If they say “no”, then I might negotiate a quick pencil sketch or mood board to show them some ideas, but generally I just respond with something like, “I appreciate that you’re looking for a specific kind of partnership here, but I unfortunately don’t have time to spend on work that isn’t paid right now.”
Sometimes, they respond to that by offering to pay a fee for the “trial” work, but generally it’s hard for clients to argue with that. I think most people can relate to not wanting to do work for someone for free (unless it’s volunteer work, obviously).
