nightmare client – Dispatches From The Front

A simple, counter-intuitive idea for you today.

You’ve likely been told the importance of niche in marketing. Likely you’ve heard this from myself. You’ve likely heard about the importance of honing in on who you want to reach, to identify your ideal client, chosen audience or target market and maybe even to create a client avatar.

And those are all fine ideas.

But I want to suggest something you might not have considered doing before. And, until the other day, I hadn’t either.

One of the central roles of marketing is to not just get the attention of your ideal clients but also to make sure you filter out the clients for whom your work will not be a fit in the same way that a window screen allows fresh air in but keeps out the flies.

Most service-based businesses have encountered a nightmare client. This person makes outrageous demands of your team and expects them to be met yesterday. He or she doesn’t respect the due date on the invoice and refuses to pay you on time. And when it comes to communicating with your company, this client either pesters you 24/7 or can’t be reached at all.

The old cliché may say that the customer is always right, but these difficult clients are usually not worth your time, frustration and, as may be the case, lost income. Although you may be hesitant to drop or “fire” a client, it could very well be in your business’s best interest in the long run.

“For a [business] relationship to have long-term success, both parties have to be in a position to do their very best possible work,” said Matt Dopkiss, co-founder of digital marketing agency Dynamit. “If the frictions overpower the momentum, the relationship will grind to a halt. You usually know it far in advance, but you’re reluctant to admit it. You rationalize, you put in extra effort, you try to stay optimistic — but once the chemistry is gone, it’s over.”

Tag: nightmare client

Be More Repulsive | marketingforhippies.com

How to Tactfully Drop a Client | Business News Daily