[mea] Re: FW: dropping a client
- From: Bev Phillips <phillipb@xxxxxxx>
- To: mea@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Fri, 30 Nov 2007 20:52:17 -0600
Wow -- this is a bad situation. It all boils down to: Can you live with
another year of it?
These points show that the client is either trying to get rid of you, or at
least doesn't care if you quit -- and isn't committed to having the work
done well:
- Constantly shifts the date the document might be ready but expects to
send it as soon as it arrives
- Isn't clear when relaying the editorial requirements
- Changes the style every time a new document comes out and seems to
think I will use my ESP to figure this out
- Never sends changes to the style guide made in-house
- Asks for ridiculously quick turnaround times
If you were an employer and your employee acted like this, you would fire
them because they are making the working conditions impossible.
Even having said that, if you were still interacting with the nice person
you dealt with before, you might be able to put up with some of that. But
how much money is it worth to you to wake up every morning knowing you'll
face more of it?
I wouldn't be able to tolerate this, myself. I broke off with a client a few
years ago when they were making what I considered unreasonable demands
(expecting me to be on call 40 hours a week to do 10 minutes of work,
immediately -- I work freelance so I have some flexibility in managing my
time, not to drop my plans for the day every time this company called).
However, the amount of income I was making from the client was so small it
was no hardship. I told them that the job should be done in-house -- clearly
what they needed.
As for the unpleasantness of the personal contact, are they really paying
you enough to tolerate that?
In the end, it's your call. As you say, you can market yourself and seek out
new clients. That's a good idea, anyway -- keep your business moving
forward. And feel like you have your life back again.
Cheri Frazer wrote:
> Hi, everyone:
>
> After our meeting this week about freelance issues I thought you might
> enjoy discussing the issues in the message below. I've posted it here
> with permission from the author (this was posted on the EAC listserv
> originally).
>
> Most of us who have done freelance editing have at some point dealt with
> a stinker client. How would *you* handle the situation below?
>
> Cheri
> (The author of the message would like me to share the replies; if you'd
> prefer your reply to be private, please say so in your message (I will
> remove all names and contact info anyway). Thanks!)
>
> -----Original Message-----
> Am I nuts to think about dropping the client that pays me my highest
> rate?
> It's almost time to renew our contract, and I am just not sure I want
> to.
>
> PROS
> - Always pay the bill (though somewhat slowly)
> - Accepts my highest rate
> - Supplies work each year, though it varies in amount
>
> CONS
> - Constantly shifts the date the document might be ready but expects to
> send it as soon as it arrives
> - Isn't clear when relaying the editorial requirements
> - Changes the style every time a new document comes out and seems to
> think I will use my ESP to figure this out
> - Never sends changes to the style guide made in-house
> - Makes me feel like an idiot when telling me I missed these new changes
> while editing
> - Asks for ridiculously quick turnaround times
> - Sends me a document and tells me half of it will be replaced with new
> text while I am editing (!)
> - Generally irritates the heck of me
>
> Here's the thing, though, the client is a government ministry. It feels
> wrong, somehow, not to want a government contact. But I am not sure that
> the agitation I feel is worth even my top rate. I think I'd rather earn
> a little less per hour and work on projects I enjoy. I used to put up
> with it because I really liked the one person I usually worked with, but
> she's been promoted and isn't the freelancers' contact anymore. I don't
> seem to get along with the person I now work, and I feel as if she
> really doesn't like me. She didn't choose me; she inherited me.
>
> I could make up some of the income with other clients. Financially, it
> wouldn't hurt too much to cut this one loose--but what if that isn't
> always the case? We've all seen publishing houses close, and most of my
> other clients are publishers. The ministry isn't going anywhere.
>
> What would you do? Keep the client, smile when you cash the cheque, and
> spend some of the money on a meditation class? Or drop the client, lower
> your blood pressure, and go back to enjoying your work? Do you pick
> money or quality of worklife?
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