Firing anyone is never easy. It’s especially hard when the person is a client of yours: someone who is supposed to be giving you money. It’s terrible, and it’s sad, but it happens. Anyone in any type of contract, freelance, or sales field can relate. If you’re a Realtor, you’ve had those sellers- the ones who just aren’t ready to give up their home. It’s frustrating to think that you’ve poured hours, weeks, or months of work into one sale, and then they continue to flake out on you. In one of these situations, it’s probably time to fire your client. Yes, you’re losing their money, but your time could be better spent elsewhere. In the time it took to close with them, you could have had three or four other jobs. At this point, it’s time to cut your losses and move on. So, do you think you’re ready to let your troublesome client go? Read this post by Alyssa Faber at Backlog of Business for the red flags:
-Payment issues- if they never pay you consistently, on time, and in full, it’s time to say bye.
-Client is a “buzzkill,” or client is disrespectful/verbally abusive- if you dread checking your inbox and seeing an email from them, it’s not a healthy relationship.
-They don’t understand that you are a business professional that has other clients, and treat you are their personal servant.
-Client lacks honesty, tries to micro-manage everything, or ties up all of your time.