HOW TO “FIRE” A CLIENT AS A FREELANCER By Mary Grace Donaldson
No freelancer in any field begins a relationship with a client with the intent that it will end anytime soon. The freelancer wants to make money. The client comes looking for that particular service. The best case scenario comes when their needs match up, and a business relationship can not only begin, but can continue for as long as the needs of both parties last.
reasons. Their demands might become so ridiculous that they infringe upon your ability to do your best quality work. The time that it takes for you to complete one assignment for a difficult client could be equal to the time it takes for you to complete three assignments for another. The client might not understand boundaries. Whatever the reason is, it is highly likely that you won’t initially notice that your soon-to-be problem client is, in fact, going to be a problem. You want it to work. Once you realize that it isn’t going to work, how do you end the relationship?
However, not all business relationships between freelancers and clients turn out as best-case scenarios. When a business relationship between a freelancer and a client ends due to circumstances that have nothing to do with either a life change or the end of needs on one or both sides, that ending is not always the fault of the freelancer. Sometimes, the client is the party who needs to be “fired.” As a freelancer, you might strike deals with clients whom, after some time spent working with them, become a problem -- for a variety of possible
FIRST THINGS FIRST If your safety is at risk due to the actions of your client, and if those actions involve abuse and/or illegal activities, end the relationship immediately and contact the police as soon as possible. 145
