There comes a time in every freelancers working life when you need to make a decision about a client: are they still worth having?
I recently had to let one of my clients go. Unfortunately their working structure was a little too corporate for me and their expectations far too high for the level of pay they were offering. These felt like insurmountable problems to me and the increasing level of work, time commitment and expectations for no more pay was starting to make me feel stressed and put upon. The main thing was that I felt they were taking advantage and I couldn’t feel like that in my own business. Walking away from that client was easy.
There are lots of reasons why you may have come to this point.
- Your clients was one of the early ones and is still paying you at a low level.
- Your relationship has broken down due to creative differences or a loss of trust on either side.
- Your client is asking too much from you and you are feeling taken advantage of.
- The work you do for this client takes up too much time which you would rather spend on other ideas or looking for other jobs.
- You have started to find the work boring and need to move on.
There are probably as many reasons for ditching a client as there are for taking one on. But at some point in your career you will have to “fire” your client and doing it in the best possible way is imperative.
Remember that you have built up a relationship with this person and they have come to rely on you in one sense or another. They may well assume that everything is going fine. They may be very happy with the situation and if they are paying you less than you are worth, they probably should be. You need to approach this whole situation carefully, but firmly.
Try to change the thing you dislike
So maybe the only reason you want to move on is because they are not paying you enough. If this is the case, your first port of call is to ask for a payrise. You will be surprised how often this works. If you have produced good work, on time and of good quality for a period of time, your client will not want to lose you. Writers of that sort are not exactly a dime a dozen. Your client may well come back and agree and everything can carry on as before.
The main point here is – don’t walk away until you have tackled the problem. Be open and honest with your client and explain what has happened and what your feelings are. They may agree that it is time to go your separate ways, or they may offer a solution which works for both of you. Give it a go at least.
Leave in an amicable way
Never walk away from your client with a bad taste left in everyone’s mouth. Treat them as you would expect them to treat you.
- Give them notice of your intention to leave. This may mean writing for them until the end of the month or until they find a replacement. Whatever you feel is fair. Don’t leave them in the lurch.
- Issue a final invoice and give them reasonable time to pay.
- Send an email or even a letter as your resignation. There is no need to explain why – unless you think it would be helpful, but you should express your thanks and regrets regarding leaving.
Your main aim is to walk away with your head held high and with a possible future client. Let’s imagine that in six months time they are looking for a new client. Their budget is more and they realise what they have lost. You want them coming back to you with an offer you can’t refuse. Put yourself in the driving position with every client; who knows where it might lead.
Don’t be scared
Walking away from a perfectly OK writing job where you are getting regular money is scary. This is true and there is no denying it. But if it is making you unhappy, stressed or you are feeling exhausted – you need to put yourself first.
Other jobs will come along and with the time you now have spare you can usually fill it with something you enjoy more or which pays better. Over time you will replace all of your poor paying cleints with those who pay more and your income will increase.
It is just the way of the freelancer and you should never feel tied down. The whole point of being a freelance writer is the flexibility and this extends to your working relationships as well.