Success in Sweatpants

I knew I had a nightmare client on my hands. CEO of a boutique consulting firm, she was smart, creative, ambitious, and a great salesperson. But when she was bad she was horrid—very high maintenance and at times abusive in her treatment of me and other members of her team. Still, when she offered me a  5-figure monthly retainer to continue as the company’s virtual marketing director, it was too hard to turn it down.

We hadn’t completed our first month in the new model when I knew I had made a mistake.  There was some kind of struggle every single day; there was always some kind of issue to work through to make progress. She would approve my initiatives and give direction as needed, then turn around and do the stuff herself or go in a completely different direction without telling me. Getting paid had always been a challenge, in spite of the “rigorous” purchase order system in place, and the problem continued: three weeks into the first month I had still not received the “due on the first” retainer payment.

One day, it hit me like a cliché ton of bricks: Regardless of her intelligence, business savvy, and great retainer offer, this woman was very far from an ideal client. A dud, in fact. And  no matter how much I liked manage the marketing and enjoyed the idea of those 5-digit checks, I knew I needed to dump this dud.

I worked through a my fair share of of fear to do the dumping. Losing this client would set me back significantly in terms of revenue and business goals. The void created in my work load would take some time to fill.  In spite of these and other nagging fears, I knew (in whatever part of my body that knows things that my brain can’t quite get) that this client had to go.

And go she did. It wasn’t pretty, but once through the process, I woke up each morning for at least a week, remember that I no longer had to work with her, and bound out of bed with loads of energy, enthusiasm, and anticipation of great things.

Karma did its thing. Within two weeks of dumping this dud, I had a new working relationship with another CEO. This one is also smart, creative, and a great salesperson—AND she is a joy to work with. 

The moral of the story….Don’t put up with dud clients.

They will make you sick, and will also make you hate your work. Find the courage to say “no” or “no more” to clients who are wrong for you, no matter how many dollar, pound, or euro signs they offer you.  Keep clear of the bad ones, and you will be able to see and available to take on the great clients when they come your way.

PRODUCT PITCH: Coaching in Sweatpants (Book Yourself Solid Module 1)  is about making sure you have a solid foundation for your at-home business and marketing. And the very first thing we talk about is clients: ideal and dud, how to tell the difference, and what to do about it. Course starts August 25th. Find out more about this and the other two modules that will help you get booked solid and all the freedom you want.