I’ve come to identify the 4 clients I try to avoid when possible.

While these clients may represent businesses I can help, and they may be able to to pay my fees, I still either avoid or drop them if I see certain things happening.

Here’s a rundown: (of course YMMV)

1. “Know-It-All Ned”
For me personally, this is the most annoying. Know-it-all Ned seems to start out very nice, but even early there are usually hints that he has opinions on everything. …and slow but sure, opinions turn into ‘facts’…pseudo facts like, “Google ranks you higher for Flash” and ..”don’t you think we’re overdoing it with content?” …”who’s going to read all that?” Ned is happiest when he gets to tell you his opinion….and frequently answers my statements with, “…of course!” He’s an advertising expert, a Google expert and a business genius, while his own business is struggling.


2. " Fantasy Fred" – Most optimistic fellow you will ever meet! Believes every thing he’s ever read. This type is convinced that getting to the top of Google is a 2 week sprint, not a long term marathon. And, he usually imagines HUGE streams of traffic once he’s on page one of G. I once had a client who I did PPC for and he couldn’t believe he was only getting a handful of leads every week, since he just assumed thousands in his small town were looking for what he was selling.

3. "Lowball Louie"- Knows the price of everything and the value of nothing. He/she is often in a very cutthroat business themselves, and sees beating up the vendor on price as standard operating procedure.
Can be defensive when you try to inquire if they have a budget, and loves to bring up some lowball offer they received, just to see what your reaction is. All that aside, I still find if I can demonstrate value, these types can be won over.


4. "Undecided Elvira". I picked a female name, but just as many men display this pattern. Basically they cannot decide anything. …at least on their own. Everything must be run past the ‘authority figure’ in their world. On client needed is son at college to give his blessing to everything we did on his website. His son would send me chunks of text (obviously copied from his textbooks) telling me to ‘find a place to use this’ and usually my client, the dad, would listen to this.

Also some suggestions:
Try to do a little research on your prospect, if you sense any of these behaviors. If you have good relations with some other similar businesses, ask if they know the prospect, and have any opinions about him/her. You will have to do this discreetly.
Make sure the client knows what the project is to include, the timetable, and other details before you start. I always send an email after the meeting re-capping what was said/agreed to.
As much as it seems at odds, try not to take on new clients out of sheer desperation. Follow your instincts, and don’t take on clients you just don’t feel right about.
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Bruce NewMedia