7 types of clients to avoid as a freelancer

How often have you regretted taking on a project because the client is terrible to work with? As a freelancer, you must constantly find new clients to make a living, but what I find even more important is avoiding problematic clients that will make you hate the project and wish you never signed that contract.

As a freelance video editor, I have worked for hundreds of clients so far, and here is my list of 7 types of clients to avoid.

Type 1 - Creative liberators

If you are a freelancer working in any creative industry, I'm sure you have heard this sentence at least once: "We don't know exactly what we want, but you are the specialist, we trust your expertise, and we give you creative freedom." It's a huge red flag for me whenever I hear this. You might say: "Wait, isn't that great? The client gives you creative freedom; you can do whatever you want. That's perfect!" That's exactly how I used to think when I started my freelance career. The truth is creative freedom is a myth when it comes to commercial creative work. The client may really believe they trust your expertise; the reality is they don't know yet what they want to get. As soon as you show them the first drafts of your work, they will have opinions. And then, you will need to redo the work. And redo it again and then again. So, in reality, they don't care about your creative input that much. They simply don't know what they want.

I'm not a sailor, but something tells me it is very hard to navigate a ship if you have no idea where you are headed. Don't get on that boat unless you can help the client specify what they really want.

Type 2 - Negative talkers

If a new client tells me about their terrible experience with previous freelancers, I get cautious. Yes, there is a chance that whoever they worked with before wasn't very good. That's why I usually try to investigate what exactly happened, and why the client isn't happy. If there is a genuine reason, for example, the freelancer took the money and never delivered the work or wasn't following the deadlines, then yes, the client has all the reasons to be unhappy. But quite often, it turns out that the client wanted something impossible from the freelancer, which naturally wasn't delivered.

A quick story from my experience: a potential new client once reached out to me, and when we were on an introduction call, he started complaining about the previous freelancer they used to work with. When I asked what was wrong, it turned out the freelancer refused to work on weekends, so the client considered him inflexible and not motivated enough. 

Not working over a weekend is a basic human right, and I am ready to give that right away only for a specific price and only when I feel like I want to. So that's not a fair reason to speak badly of anyone. 

One more you should avoid this type of clients:

Type number 3 - Worrywarts

If you work in any creative industry, you are probably used to the fact that most projects are urgent, which means everyone involved is usually stressed to keep up with the deadlines. However, there is a type of client that is very stressful for no specific reason. 

I'm sure you know the type. For these people, each day is the end of the world. They usually use phrases like "we need this project yesterday" or "it's a matter of life and death", or "you will save our lives if you do this in time." I usually avoid these clients simply because my job is already quite stressful, and I know this client will be stressing me even more, even when it's unnecessary. They will likely call and text me every 5 minutes, reminding me how urgent this project is. I call this unnecessary stress in an already stressful industry.

Type 4 - Poor communicators

Freelance work is most often done remotely, which means excellent and clear communication with the client is critical. If the client is terrible at communicating during the first contact, that's a big red flag for me. If they are unresponsive or can't clearly express their thoughts over email or text, that will turn into a huge problem when the project starts. Working with a client is a two-way street, and although I expect them to be in touch only some of the time, I still need some level of involvement from them. During the project, the client needs to talk to you sometimes; they need to answer your questions and provide feedback when it comes to that.

You might ask: "How do I know if the client will be a poor communicator if I haven't worked with them?". Here is a tip. If, during the introduction period, the client sends you five emails trying to express their thoughts instead of one well-written message, that's a clear indication that you are dealing with a poor communicator.

Type 5 - Multiple captains

When I say "client", in a perfect world, you picture one person, but in reality, you must deal with a group of people most of the time, which is normal. My clients are usually businesses and organisations; naturally, multiple people are involved in the project from the client side. For example, suppose the client is a relatively small company or a startup. In that case, I often need to communicate with the founder, the marketing manager, their assistants, and so on. However, I get very cautious when, from the start, too many people are emailing and calling me with different questions and requests. It's not a reason to immediately reject the project, but if you end up in a similar situation, I recommend carefully managing it before starting the project. Try to identify who is going to be your first person of contact and who will be directly managing your work.

In some cases, the client team will assign someone themselves, but very often, the company that wants to hire you can be chaotic and unorganised, which is a big red flag. If no one is in charge, that means the project is going to be a complete mess. You will receive controversial directions during the work, and managing everyone involved will be a nightmare. So, beware of a ship with multiple captains. 

Apologies for another sailing analogy.

Type 6 - Beta testers

A lot of clients may ask you to do test work before they decide whether you can get their project or not. It's a common request in freelance, and it's entirely up to you to choose if you'd like to accept it, especially if you are only starting your freelance career. But I don't take requests to do a free test project. 

The reason I don't do free test work is not that I'm too greedy or too proud, I just don't see any point in that. Free test work makes sense when you are a fresh graduate applying for a full-time job, and the employer wants to ensure you are competent. Freelance, however, is a project-based business, which means you deal with a high rotation of jobs. In other words, you need to constantly find and complete new projects to maintain a constant cash flow. So, imagine if every new client asks you to do free test work. Even if it is only a few hours of work each time, this can add to days and weeks of unpaid work every year.

Secondly, I don't see the point in making a test work because I have a portfolio. The client is welcome to see what I've done before, especially if I have done something similar to what they seek. So if a new client asks you to do some work for free, they either don't respect your time, or they are simply greedy and are trying to pay less for your work.

Type 7 - the bargainers 

If my first introduction with the client starts with bargaining, I usually drop out. Don't get me wrong; I'm not greedy or arrogant; I just don't see a point in arguing around project quotes and rates. Let's say my quote for a project is $2000. The client finds it too expensive, and they say they were planning to spend at most $500 on this project. Now, even if I can convince them to pay me $2000, because that's the fair price for the work they want me to do, I will not do that. I will just respectfully reject their offer. I will not try to convince them because that's a terrible way to start a relationship with a client. If the client pays much more than they intended, they will have unrealistically high expectations. They will think they are spending a fortune on this project, so they will constantly push you, expecting no less than miracles from you. If you don't want that unnecessary pressure, avoid the bargainers.

Finding the right freelance clients can be tricky. especially if you only started your freelance career. If you want some expert help to become a freelancer, make sure to book a consultation with me.