Client Red Flags
Happy almost 2021! Anyone else feel like this year went by really slow and extremely fast all at the same time? It’s wild. I hope you are all staying safe and well. If you follow us on Instagram, you might know that we’ve been moving studios for the past few weeks and I’m so happy to say that we’re finally all moved in. The space is a hot mess so we still need to clean and organize everything but it’s all coming together really nicely. We’re honestly just so stoked to be able to offer a better space to our community that’s conducive to other types of photography including portraits and lifestyle. We’ll also finally be able to have an actual podcast room where we’ll get to record Per Our Last Email twice a month. Who knows? Maybe we’ll make the podcast room available for rent to any budding podcasters. If you’re interested in following along our journey, check out Little Sunday Studio on Instagram to stay in the know about everything we have to offer. Anyway, that’s a quick little update for you! I won’t bore you with more details because I want to get straight into the nitty gritty of what this post is actually about.
Client.
Red.
Flags.
Oh yeah. We’re going there! Don’t get me wrong. There are so many amazing clients out there and I don’t think most creatives would still be freelancing today if there weren’t. But with every wonderful client comes along a not-so-great one. You know? The ones that send you off in a fury when they try to tell you how long it’s going to take YOU to complete a project. Or the ones that have THE AUDACITY to make you feel guilty for charging what you’re worth. Yeah, those! Before we get any further, there’s something I want to make really clear. This post is not meant to bash on bad clients. Although they may deserve it… haha! The purpose of this post is to educate and inform regardless of what side of the relationship you’re on. It can be exciting and yet completely terrifying to start a new company. We get it because we’ve been there. What’s even more difficult is when you have to learn to give up some form of control and trust that your creative partners will bring your visions to life. And to that, I want to say: It’s OK to not know it all and it’s OK to have a small budget. We all have to start somewhere right? The most important thing is that over time you learn to communicate your needs, value the work and expertise of creatives, and ultimately treat freelancers with respect. That’s all we ask. At the end of the day, we just want to work with people who are nice, respect us, pay on time, and understand the value of our work. After all, clients are the lifeline of our creatives businesses but NEVER at the expense of our sanity and mental well-being.
Alright, let’s be real for a quick moment. All of us have taken jobs that we probably should have said no to… Am I right or am I right? Like I’ve said before, it’s OK to not know any better and you should never feel guilty for what you had to do to get started. I can tell you right now that if it hadn’t been for those crappy jobs then we probably would’ve never known what red flags to look out for in the future. Just like you develop any other skill, it takes time to learn the tell tale signs of a red flag client. With that being said, below are some of the red flags that we’ve encountered in the last few years that have helped us dodge those not-so-great clients and spend more time with the people we do enjoy working with.
they don’t do their research
I honestly don’t know where to start. This red flag is a personal pet peeve of mine and it drives me insane every time we receive inquiries and the company seems to be completely clueless about what it is we do. Our amazing friend Kirsten of Alway Services recently wrote a post on our blog about how to professionally reach out to a service-based business and it is SO good you guys! Read it when you have a chance but I’ll cut to the chase for this post. If a company can’t take the time to do their research and find out what services you offer, why should you then invest time into their business? It’s almost as if we didn’t make it clear enough what it is exactly that we do in our Instagram bio or our website. The amount of times we have been asked what services we offer is astounding. Or worse, when they reach out inquiring about headshots or portraits. Did you even take a look at our site? Again, if a client can’t take the time to research you and expect you to do the work to explain what it is you do, they’re likely still shopping around and may not be serious about their inquiry. Our suggestion is to always respond (no matter how ridiculous) and you’ll quickly get a sense of how serious this client is and you’ll know whether to move forward or not.
sense of urgency (unrealistic timeline)
This one’s a BIG one and I’ll explain why. When a potential client sends an inquiry and they include words like “ASAP” or “quick turnaround”… run for the damn hills! Whether over email or on a video call, an extreme sense of urgency on the part of the client is always a red flag for many reasons. First, there’s a sense of entitlement because they’re expecting that their project will suddenly be at the top of our priorities when that’s not the case. Most freelancers tend to have multiple clients and/or are booked out weeks or months in advance. Second, quality work shouldn’t be rushed. If a client is wanting something done quickly, they’re most likely panicking and just looking for someone to complete the job. They probably don’t see the value in what you have to offer and all they really want to hear is a “yes.” Lastly, you’re the expert and only you know how long a project will take you. Clients who want to define what that timeline looks like for you is a major red flag and it’s up to you whether you want to educate them on that or turn them away. If a client approaches you with this type of energy, kindly explain to them your schedule, your typical timeline for projects, and ask whether they have any flexibility to move things around. If they can’t and the project is possible (and you don’t have any other current projects), let them know that you can take the project on but it will cost double or triple your normal rates because of the limited time that you now have to complete the work. At the end of the day, it is NOT your fault that they didn’t come to you sooner and they should respect your time if their deadline does not work for you.
when they use the words “bootstrapping,” “shoestring,” or “limited” when describing their budget
This one makes me giggle. Elle said to me the other day when I was sharing these red flags to her: “It’s always something to do with shoes.” Haha. In all seriousness though, this one’s a bit of a no-brainer. A client who uses these words to describe their budget are usually new companies, are unaware of the time and money it takes to produce high-quality work, and most likely don’t have the budget to hire you. If a client leads with this type of communication in their inquiry, it usually signifies that they view the creative as a commodity and may not actually see the value in their work because all they care about is the price. This red flag could also indicate that they’re still shopping around for the “best deal” which is a major no-no. If a client uses this language in their inquiry, ask them to be specific about their budget because it’s the only way that you’ll be able to let them know what is actually possible.
negotiating below your rates
Moving right along with the money talk, haha! I’d like to preface this red flag by saying that some negotiation is completely normal. What isn’t is when a client wants to negotiate way below your normal rates. Clients who want to haggle pricing typically don’t see the value in creative work nor how it will improve their business. If this is the case, kindly let the client know that these rates are non-negotiable and you would be happy to discuss a future project when they have more “wiggle room” in their budget. However, sometimes there will be clients who are respectful but unaware of the work that goes into what you do. If they’re nice and they’re a client you’d like to work with then you can certainly educate them on the value of your services. With that being said, it’s important to always aim to negotiate the scope of work and not the price.
when they refer to their business as a “passion project” or “side hustle”
Alright, this next red flag was one that was shared with us by Do-Hee of Shoppe Theory when she came on our podcast to chat about some of her red flags that she’s experienced while running her business. It’s actually a red flag that we never quite noticed but looking back makes so much sense. If a client uses “passion project” or “side hustle” to describe their business, then it’s very possible that they probably won’t take this project seriously due to the limited time they may be spending on their “side hustle.” This description could shape their attitude, their budget, and their commitment to the project they’re inquiring about. Like Do-Hee said on her guest episode, “we need to make sure that a client is prepared both to make a financial investment and an emotional and psychological investment.” If a client does this, just be ready to gather as much information about their project in order to decipher whether they’re someone worth investing your time in or not.
their scope of work is unclear
This is probably our biggest red flag that we’ve experienced and we’ll always mention this to anyone and everyone. If a client does not know what they want, stay as far away as possible. The reason being is that they likely do know what they want (most people have an idea in their head) and they just don’t know how to communicate it well. Poor communication on the client’s part usually leads to vague requests or information which then makes it harder for the creative to do their job. Sometimes a client is unclear in what they want because they still don’t have their branding or brand guidelines down. If this is the case, kindly let them know that you’d be happy to discuss a future project once they have all their ducks in a row. If you come across a potential client that is being extremely vague, there’s a pretty good chance that this client will try to request work that’s outside of what you agreed on. When you recognize this type of client, respectfully let them know that in order for you to accurately quote their project, you’ll need to know the scope of work.
not wanting to sign a contract
I mean, do I have to say anything at all about this one? Haha! But honestly, never work without a contract and if a client won’t sign one then run for the hills! Not having a contract with a potential client is probably the biggest red flag on the planet. A contract is a mutual understanding between you and your client about what the project entails, the deliverables, the timeline, how each party is protected, and so forth. Kindly decline anyone who asks you to work without a contract.
unreasonable requests
Ok this red flag sort of goes with the unrealistic timeline but it’s a combination of all of the impossible things that clients want from you. If a client is asking for high quality work for a low budget and a quick turnaround. Just say bye Felicia. No questions asked… Just kidding you guys, please be professional but feel free to say it in your thoughts, haha! But seriously, these requests by clients are almost always made by those who have no idea what it takes to create high quality work, don’t see our value, and don’t respect our time. Sometimes you’ll see these types of requests from larger companies that are banking on their name to get you to agree to their ridiculous offers. Don’t do it. It’s almost always never worth it and you’ll experience burnout faster than you can say “bye Felicia.” If you need an example of what can happen when you agree to an unreasonable request, listen to our podcast episode with Kitiya Palaskas for a wild client story. Fair warning, this episode can be quite triggering but Kitiya is the sweetest soul and you’ll immediately love her and want to send her a virtual hug.
when they want to “own” or have full rights to all of the work
Another red flag that’s just not the business (pun intended). While licensing and usage rights are tricky to understand when you’re first getting started in commercial photography, it’s important to know one thing. You, as the photographer, own all the rights to the images you take. When working with companies, it is very normal to charge clients a usage fee for the work you created for them. This “license” fee can be calculated by how the client is intending to use these images. Will they be shared organically on social media and on their website or will they be running promotional ads using these images? Usage rights are important because it’s what helps protect the work of the photographer and allows them to gain a small profit from what the client would be making from these images. At the end of the day, we’re creating marketing pieces for companies that will then bring in more revenue. Their need to “own” the images is unnecessary if they’re receiving an exclusive license that only allows them to use the work. Not to mention, most companies don’t re-use the same content within a year (even several months) so a full rights buyout is pointless and would be extremely expensive to the client.
their communication style
This one is a big one for me personally and although my partner Elle and our friend Kirsten are the ones typically answering inquiries or talking to potential clients, every now and then I’ll hop on a call with Elle and I always pay attention to how they speak to us. The language they use can communicate so much about how they view creatives, what their values are, and how they may potentially treat us if we work with them. Being unprofessional and making snarky comments on our pricing, timeline, or process are always red flags to us. It’s quite easy to tell over email what someone is like and part of it is looking out for those certain words or tone of voice that indicate unfriendliness. My suggestion is to avoid these people whenever possible unless you’re really excited about the project and it’s good money. In other words, make sure you’re being compensated extremely well in order to make up for dealing with unpleasant clients.
trade for product (or exposure)
Oof. I think we can all agree that product or exposure does not help us pay our bills. We recommend staying away from taking on these types of “trade” projects because the reality is that companies are able to afford to pay you for your work and time, even if it’s small. Like I mentioned before, you’re creating marketing pieces that have a lot of value and are going to bring this company revenue. You should be compensated for that no matter what. If someone asks you to work for product or exposure, simply decline their offer and let them know you would be happy to discuss with them further as a paying client.
when they ask to do a test shoot
This red flag is a sore thumb for us because it happened once before with a dream client. I won’t get into the details but it became the reason why clients asking for test shoots is a red flag for us. This is especially worse when it comes from a large company who can most definitely afford to pay for high-quality imagery. Asking to do test shoots is like saying “I’ve seen your portfolio but I’m not 100% convinced that you’re right for the job so I’d like to test you out for a smaller shoot where I likely won’t pay you what you’re worth and this project will likely not lead to future work.” Did I get that right? Let me know, haha! On a more serious note, test shoots are an easy way for companies to essentially exploit photographers into creating work for them but with the empty promise of future work. It’s very uncool and I really wish it would stop. If a client comes to you with a request for a test shoot, you can politely decline and let them know that all of our portfolio is available on our site and we’d be happy to discuss a future shoot.
complains about previous “bad experiences”
This red flag was shared with us by our friend Nicole of Sprout Law while we recorded her guest episode this past week. Although her episode is not actually out quite yet, I did want to share it because I think it’s a good one. One of her biggest red flags is when a potential client complains about having bad experiences in the past. Complaining about past experiences can sometimes bring unnecessary baggage to the project which has the potential to lead to micromanaging on the client’s part. Trust your gut on this one and make a choice based on your instincts.
the vibe is off (trust your gut)
Lastly, but definitely not least, is the bad vibe that you’re getting from a client. It’s that gut feeling where you know something is not right. Whether it’s bad energy or just an instinct, always listen to it. It’s there for a reason and the times we’ve ignored our gut feeling, it always ends up biting us in the butt. Trust your gut, it it feels wrong, that’s a red flag.
Phew. If you got through all of those, give yourself a pat on the back. One thing I’d like to make clear is that just because these are our red flags does not mean that they are your red flags too. Lean into your own experiences and take note of the times that a client has not valued or respected you. There’s only so many warnings we can share with you but sometimes you just have to go through the experience for yourself to know the difference between a client who values you and a client who doesn’t. As you grow, you’ll be able to sniff out those red flag clients from a mile away, find the confidence to push back on ridiculous requests, and turn away projects that aren’t worth your energy. Always do your best to protect your time, money, and sanity and remember that you started freelancing because you wanted the freedom to choose exactly who you want to work with. KNOW. YOUR. WORTH.
Is it the weekend yet?
Arabela