An Encounter with Bad Clients
Freelance Architect│Small Practice│Sole Proprietorship
We are aware that we all need to please our client as encouraging as we can. But like the rest of other professionals, our business relationships are varying. As an architect I am dealing with many different types of people. Sometimes I do not recognize a bad coconut.
In the beginning of your business, you will feel obligated to take every offer possible for work while building your portfolio. Sometimes you may even know it is going to be a bad road to take but out of desperation you feel the need to take the journey. Even if you are employed or in a small practice and running your own office, it is always better to know your clients and weed out bad ones before a contract is signed and the project begins.
Let me share you five signs to recognize a bad client:
1. Your client asks for several face-to-face meetings or lengthy conference calls before the project begins.
2. Your client brings in a “silent partner” that turns out to be not so silent.
3. Your client doesn’t value your time.
4. Project details and scope change regularly once the contract is signed.
5. Your client uses buzzwords they don’t understand.
There are a lot of clients who are just ‘window shopping’ – taking advantage of your talents and skills without paying your work or no proper remuneration. There are also some who are good client at first but eventually will quit during development process, which means out of funds. Here are some pointers to protect you from bad clients, so we can protect ourselves and credibility.
BEFORE BEGINNING
1. State Policies. Clients may not know (most of them) our policies and how we do things in order. Let us explain these to them.
2. Meet in person. It is a need to discuss projects, services, and financial matters face-to-face. It should only take one or two meetings for both you and the client to decide to work together and start the project.
3. Check their references. Your client is checking on you, so it’s not bad checking on them too.
4. Put everything in writing. In professional practice, we have to do that – black and white. Contracts protect you and the client as well. Don’t forget to make them sign on it.
WHEN CHARGING
5. Charge for outcome, not hours. There are different kinds of charging, in architecture and construction industry, usually per square meter or by percentage. It’s in our professional practice bible – the UAP Documents.
6. Get a fairly sized deposit. A 30% and 50% deposit from clients makes you more secure that they are good payers.
7. Set up a payment schedule. Everybody has their own terms of payment. These terms would be agreed by both parties.
DURING SERVICE
8. Only accept small changes without charging. Anything is negotiable.
9. Give yourself enough time. Be honest in meeting deadlines. It’s better than having a not-so-good output.
10. Have deadlines for them too. Your client doesn’t value your time. They give you deadlines of project completion so you need to give them deadlines as well.
11. Learn to say no. If you cannot compromise, just say no.
WRAPPING UP EVERYTHING
12. Be in control of your work. Intellectual property rights come in. You work on it – you own it.
13. Have a Post Service Agreement. It must be clear to the client that you offer services after the agreed scope of the project – in case of some Design-Build services. It’s better to let them understand early about services you cater.
14. Have a clause of late payment interest. Remember to state this in your contract.
15. Double check everything. It’s better to be sure than sorry. At least visit a trusted consultant to help you do things smoothly.
