Client Red Flags and Warning Signs

[@drebosio]

Here's one of the red flags I occasionally run into: The client that tells you he wants to hire you because the current company is terrible and they want to fire them. Even better if they say it's their third time around doing that.

[@thefutur]

Diego Rebosio good one.

[@Esthermuzo]

This channel has become my daily dose of business insights. It almost feel like going to school for me now.

[@thefutur]

Thank you Ester.

[@srikantsahoo8243]

Ya same with me. After this lockdown, I am binge-watching all the videos. I am 18 yrs old and I am like what the hell I was doing till now. I feel bad since there is so much good content out there, and most of the people are missing these out in India.

[@jithukilladi7501]

A futur a day keeps bad clients away

[@myopyaesone1062]

I wish I found this channel years earlier.

[@thefutur]

we are glad you are here now.

[@gordonsmith33]

Mer too!!!

[@LemonChecks]

(see above) don't have a complete OPEN mind when it comes to biz advice.

[@arandomkenyan]

Yup

[@happychampion3096]

Me too

[@techtalkswithnick]

I can say you hit the nail on the head with every single profile. Word of advice for any young web/designers that are starting out in an agency or freelancing, whatever you do, don't let your first bad client deter you. If I had stopped at the first bad client I got, I wouldn't be where I am. Use that first job you didn't get paid for after working on the site for three weeks, or the job where the person would call you at 2 in the morning to complain as a learning experience/curve and let it define your future relationships for the better.

[@thefutur]

+Nick C Hello Nick. Glad you are validating some of observations and great that you are reminding everyone about not being discouraged if you should run into a bad client. Out of curiosity, would you mind sharing what agency you run? Either way, glad to hear that some higher level types such as yourself are watching the channel. How did you find us and what content are you particularly interested in?

[@marij5589]

Thanks for this. One of my clients really has me down in the dumps right now. Slow paying, indecisive, gossips about other contractors/mutual contacts....just a mismatch for my personality and business. It's exhausting me and I even have panic attacks when she pays late because I rely on the income for my personal expenses like rent & groceries. I know I should fire her and I will asap. But I need the income.

[@mguerra79]

@Nick Clancy, could you tell the agency 4 years later, at least? :D Cheers from Portugal!

[@rahimulkabir5066]

Coach, Why am I seeing this now man! I gotta tell you! You created some true masterpiece 3,4,5 years ago! I am seeing every of them one by one! Can't thank you enough❤💯❤

[@charles6685]

Although this video had been published for 2 years. By watching it now, it really gives me insights on how to deal with and see wide varieties of clients. Especially when i just starting my career as a freelancer... Thank you so much..

[@kampart6035]

I worked with a client recently who liked every cool thing he saw and wanted to add it to the project even if it didn't relate. He thought everything was easy. He treated his staff like absolute crap and treated our team like gold. He changed his mind every week and would constantly contradict himself. We ended up spending 4 months on a 2-month project.

[@thefutur]

Kamp ART sorry to hear. That's a less than ideal situation. Doing stylescapes and getting sign off might of helped.

[@mfrancisco_850]

@@thefutur we have done mood board styleframes stylescapes and still had to redo stuff tons some clients no matter how many things you show them they are just nuts lol.

[@eliseenvisionz7588]

Really helpful micro managers are evil 🤧🤧 I'm dealing with one right now.

[@sethocohen]

I wish my university professors had known about this channel when I was in school ... and...knowing that this channel exists makes me want to be a teacher to share this wisdom with the children ...

[@dawnhappy]

I can spot a red flag a mile off and they usually take place during the first meeting. Statements like "So why should I pay you when I could do it myself?" or "I want Project A completed for the price of Project B" (expecting me to lower my rates for no good reason). It is frustrating and seems to always be based around money. However, for every difficult client, there are 10 awesome clients that are a delight to work with and they appreciate the value you offer their business.

[@great567]

The quote "Design is relationships" from Paul Rand takes on a whole new meaning.

[@thefutur]

yes.

[@benjamintelfort7777]

I respect Chris Do on trusting your gut feeling on when to say No! Thanks for being Transparent

[@thefutur]

Benjamin Telfort you're welcome.

[@ternelternel]

I can also say that bad clients think that their time is more important than yours. So they tend to make you wait for so long, they will not send you a meeting invites etc. They will just say ok let's meet say ninenish -somewhere-blah-blah... then they will not show up on the exact time. And worst when they saw you they will say "Oh you're here!?" These kind of clients are a kind of people who never started from below and their mentors are also bad. So they get the same attitude like their mentors.

[@NibberKSmooth]

Great advice. You MUST listen to your mind and instincts, if you have to then walk away; if you don't, you will become a slave to your desperation, and you will not be saved.

[@ninamphotog]

Agree with micro-managers and clients that don't know what they want. Revision and scope creep nightmares

[@mfrancisco_850]

its so common cause most people in power love to hear their own opinions.

[@destructor031]

Love this! it's so helpful! i did had a bad experience with a client, that according to him i didn't reach his expectations of the quality of design and after the project was over he wasn't answering my calls. So when he did, he demand me to lower the price we agreed on the beginning and also start attacking me about being lazy and not valuing them, that my job was so easy he could have done it. So that i should be thankful for them for giving me work. I felt so humiliated, my gut told me to walk away and forget about the money, but i thought i wasn't gonna get paid at all so i lower my head, i discounted 60% of my price and take the blame for everything. I worked and invested time in that project. I didn't want to leave empty handed. And I thought "alright i don't care what he's saying i know the truth i just gonna accept the money and never ever work again with them". So I accepted all the fault and received those crumbs. But i felt so terrible for not standing for myself and defend myself for the chance to get the money. What i swear to myself after that event is that i wont ever going to work with such sketchy clients as they were.

[@linglee8688]

Really glad I found this channel. I recently had to give a really close friend her money back because she kept attacking me rather than giving feedback and I was feeling kinda bad about it but now I realize I made a good decision. Her feedback was "what is this crap I can make this in paint.". She then proceeds to make a ripoff lackluster copy of the original draft I sent her and uses that as her logo lol.

[@momonatu4998]

I have said NO several times. And yes, it's a magical word. XD

[@bothbou819]

I have had personal attacks from a client. Most of what was said to me was " Your work is sh&t, a 5 year old could've done better". Can't really get mad at him tho, because I pretty volunteer for that to happen (Thanks Chris Do for enforcing that mentality) Best thing I've ever learned was not to accept work or opportunity I get, but to be selective and have work that you are going to be proud of on your portfolio.

[@thefutur]

Sambath Both Bou chum that's it. Trust your gut when it comes to bad clients.

[@1pdLIVE]

I hope you don't let it drag you. Just do what do have to do and close / leave if it's not worth it ✌🏽

[@suave-alpaca8412]

Some people are just horrible and they don't get that being a total disrespectful jerk won't get the job done

[@ayushwebmaster]

The creative people thing happened with me. The guy was a musician and acting like a know-it-all person, I had a bad feeling from the beginning. In the end, he didn't pay remaining half of the payment.

[@NGH99999]

There's NOTHING better than a good client - with the possible exception of dodging a bad client, or, firing them outright. Awesome episode, guys, keep up the amazing work!

[@thefutur]

Amen.

[@thefutur]

+The Skool Network Like gold I tell ya.

[@rustledesign]

This is part of an email I received from a client. Perhaps NO! Is the answer I should be giving? Over the weekend I'll mark up an exact design to make it easy for you.

[@thebibleproof]

Chris, long before I found your channel: the first words that came out of this ex-client's mouth "So what are you going to do for me?" After much stress, now I know better to say no thank you.

[@thefutur]

it sets the wrong tone for a productive meeting.

[@MiaogisTeas]

I'm going to do you a massive favour - you'll love this even though you won't understand it yet. I'm going to say goodbye.

[@besong-anongernest]

Chris has a personal touch I can't explain. He is an augmented version of me declaratively. To the Futur!

[@thefutur]

Hello

[@besong-anongernest]

@@thefutur Hello 🤗 Futur.

[@Indieblackmagic]

Dealing with a bad client right now. Using a lot of the pointers and advice you give and it’s helping for sure with the situation.

[@tarek8996]

I've just had a bad client and felt bad, so, what do I do? I come to The Futur to feel better and learn more so that apply what I learned next time. Thank you so much for the great value! I have been consuming your content for the past two months like crazy (over 160 videos fully watched, no lies)

[@RealLaone]

Damn, sums up everything about why I hate clients and usually want to work alone on my own projects...but they has the money, and I want their money.

[@bryanjimenez1025]

I like that, treat the client relationship like a normal relationship. If you get bad vibes, red flag!

[@thefutur]

+Bryan J - 360 BRAND Run!

[@musitect]

Thank you for this video! It's given me more enlightenment as to which clients to avoid and the ones to appreciate. It's interesting how personality compatibility plays a large role in this. As a freelancer myself, I found that desperation sometimes influenced my decision, where I would ignore the red flags and take the job anyway - for the money. Never ended well. Now I value Peace of Mind over Pieces of Paper. Cheers lads for the great content. Keep it up!

[@thefutur]

If you can avoid some of the pitfalls from bad clients, you will live richly.

[@Pheexblack]

I literally had one client that was all of the bad ones you mentioned. I'm still waiting on the other half of payment, probably won't get it but I learned a lot. I will never do any work without a contract ever again.

[@reyangelodris2834]

That's true, we can be just as good as our clients will allow us to.

[@serwaabrakatu6396]

The cap guy is soo real... I see myself in him... God bless you

[@thefutur]

Thank you

[@ayeeeck4512]

My god this is Gold. I've dealt with such people like a naive person and no matter what, In the end they were still unsatisfied. Thank you for educating.

[@Peem_pom]

I have a huge issue : I keep getting beginner clients. They've never worked with designers before, but they really respect my work and process, are very cooperative, but I have to empty their pockets (which I don't want to do) and the fee is almost always lower than what I want to charge (which means I need to take on too many jobs). It's also usually their hobby work so they don't tend to it between mon-fri or they can only talk after work hours. 95% of the time they really love the results, and feel like they've been listened to and the brief has been translated, but the project rarely ever gets published. Because of this there is no buzz like 'who did this amazing work?' (lol) and sometimes I can't even put it in my folio as a result. This is all the work I get so I'm quite stuck. Help! P.S. my fav band is Beastie Boys so loooooved the choice of music and this is a great remix! 👌

[@1pdLIVE]

Mira Malhotra I've experienced this before. Until I watched a good chuck of these boys. But there is a solution if you have the courage to stand for yourself and values... Grab the "selling strategy" from the futur... I ACCIDENTALLY grabbed it by the attempt to buy the core. And it changed a lot... The book costs roughly $500... I didn't even have the budget to buy it. But I thought I needed the core to get my @ss straight... Got the selling strategy by mistake and now happy to work on a project I couldn't be able to archive (in this range) without it. Grab the book, it will change your life. Period.

[@carlvanderpal5321]

One I recently come across was they spoke down to their workers, and when it came to something they were inadequate in, they listened, and said "I trust you / you're the expert". But when I spoke with the workers they were sad, or they mimicked their bosses tones to them with me. Which I had to pull up on a number of occasions.

[@masoudkhan7949]

Worked in a creative agency as an Account Manager and this is all relevant information! One of those "if I knew this back then" moment.

[@thefutur]

Thank you 🙏

[@masoudkhan7949]

I have also learnt to be content and happy with saying No and not taking up projects which I can see to be unprofitable. Brian Tracey Gary Vee and THE FUTUR my top listens!!

[@danielvetsalo2919]

Chris, I never knew you were a sales genius bro! Hell yeah!

[@thefutur]

am i?

[@ecosala6678]

Case in point: I just had a stressful meeting with a bad one! I assumed there was something from Jose and Chris to lift me up and Voila! Awesome work as always! THANK YOU!!!!!

[@thefutur]

We are here for you buddy.

[@Skyhawk656]

Ive been listening to all of your material on 1.5x while working. So insightful! Thanks for the awesome content!

[@thefutur]

Great to hear!

[@irfanadamm5819]

Chris, in just a weeks time, i have immensely benefited from how you articulate and address so many of the concerns creatives have. So thank a zillion.

[@MohammadKasim786]

GEMS. Chris you're just spreading GEMS!. I am freelance UX.UI Designer and I face these kinda client every week man! (y) Chris I feel you man. And I can tell how much of the design work, Client management and handwork you've done to get there.

[@gabrielarosario6332]

Los he tenido todos. La lista de Chris Do es perfecta. Tremendo contenido.

[@ria-maritruter7306]

Wow, I wish I knew about your channel 3 years back when I started my company: I ended up spoiling my clients with cheap, fixed prices because I thought that was what will draw more clients: Cheap prices x More clients = More money. Needless to say, I suck at maths :P Thanks for taking your time to share your experiences and knowledge

[@thefutur]

Glad you are here now.

[@TamerArts]

Same here but I am 5 years freelancing and 1 year company And thanks God for being here

[@fayyazb]

WOW! This is GOLD! Thank You for sharing #ChrisDo Just said NO! Especially the part “Trust the designer if you don’t know what to do, be decisive and not micro-manage!” DOPE Track at the end!

[@irenovatedmv]

Invaluable. Priceless. I could go on all day, but I won’t, and just simply say thank you.

[@thefutur]

Wow, thank you!

[@PeteNicholsonAnimation]

I remember a client handing us a brand new character design and saying "Can you do a performance similar to the performance of the other character? It shouldn't take any time should it - because you've already done the animation on another character?"

[@thefutur]

#RedFlag

[@hamzajamal2047]

Happened to me though...lol

[@northernsegageorge6510]

Pete Nicholson we had a client ask us to build a Facebook size site in less than a month. They said how hard could it be and had a budget of $1,500. Well not one software company took the job on.

[@speakstheobvious5769]

4:05 Not just a bad client, but a bad manager as well. People don't quit jobs, they quit managers.

[@mannyvalenzuelafilms]

Fantastic episode guys! I felt you guys were so sharp and concise.

[@thefutur]

+Manuel Valenzuela That's the beauty of editing via Aaron Szekely. Glad you noticed.

[@missrockstarglamazon6846]

I’ve been dealing with this exact issue great post , weeding out the bad clients . This channel is my most inspirational discovery this year awesome .

[@jsm2687]

Just canceled a contract with a client who thought that $1500 for a logo redesign was too much for his company who earns millions annually. Even had the knack to request a refund for the $500 dollars I initially charged him for the first round of designs. SMH

[@filipkowalkowski7854]

Guys! What great content and channel, really appreciate what you are doing to help the creative community, like so many before my I wanted to say thank you!

[@MrIllusionEyes]

I did a video for a mother/client early 2018. Her son was tragically killed so I couldn’t charge her. It’s no that I had to do a video presentation for the client though, I wanted to help her out. Understand the difference from that as well. Don’t do something because your forced to, do something because you want to, trust me, it makes your work a hell of a lot easier

[@thefutur]

it's easier to give something away when the other isn't demanding it from you. it leaves you with the ability to choose.

[@MrIllusionEyes]

The Futur Exactly that! It keeps both parties in tune and immersed as well and also helps keep the comradery positive in all aspects

[@MichaelShatravka]

Why did I not discover this channel 2yrs ago.

[@thefutur]

not to nitpick but we've here for 4 years. but glad you are here now. ;)

[@rinaldirahardja8449]

Super, it is challanging considering those in needs of money and can't be picky 😭

[@BradleyAlsup]

I have literally been dealing with one client for a year now. We did 4 commercials for them. We have done exactly what they wanted. And a year later- we are still making revisions.

[@colinrhee98]

Jordan Peterson talks about what makes a good leader and you hit the same exact point he did. I keep finding absolute gold on this channel.

[@markshanahan198]

I love the analogies used to describe the clients and their approach, I can completely relate them. It made me laugh so hard.

[@felipep194]

Wow! So many times that We don't listen to our gut, and try to find an answear outside of the scope. This is directly related with what you guys tought us about confidence.

[@thefutur]

When you don't listen to your gut, you often regret it.

[@majidawan341]

thank you so much Chris for sharing the knowledge. you are awesome sir. i wish i found this channel when i started my design career. but still not late :) keep up the great work.

[@OddlythinknMusic]

First time dealing with a shitty customer. Man the insults that came out of their mouths we're pretty damn hurtful. As a designer I do what I can to be sure you're satisfied with your request. Idk what I did to deserve it. All because I mentioned how they've been asking for too much for what they paid. Awesome. Didn't even ask for more money. In fact I gave them EVERYTHING they asked for. but instead I get called and "eggplant".

[@1pdLIVE]

Oddlythink'n in this case you may just leave the room my friend.

[@suave-alpaca8412]

there's no way conducting a business with them when they're being disrespectful. Some people are just truly horrible and they dont get that being a total jerk won't get the job done

[@freshestkidschina]

I had a prospective client who was looking to produce a video series for a luxury hotel chain that involved a series of shoots across the country. When I sent them a proposal and budget quotation, they told me specifically that they wouldn't pay for external hard drives (which obviously are a necessary cost of producing a video series). Still not sure exactly what their reasoning was behind that decision, but that was a huge red flag. I didn't take on the project - and zero regrets.

[@Rishaballinone]

Maaaaaannn, it is same for almost every client. I just broke my head for an hour on a scumbag. I should have watched this video beforeeeee...still thankyouu soo much!!😍😍

[@thefutur]

Glad it helped

[@tazdevil5032]

I've found that even my Project Managers can take on the same attitudes of the the bad client. Asking for me to quote a job based on another job, how long will it take?( budget)...and so on. I think I am going to have a meeting with all of the PM's to watch this presentation and see if they can spot red flags is some of their asks. Thanks again for a great talk. Cheers!

[@thefutur]

You’re very welcome. Good luck.

[@AnandJ]

I wish I could pay for this video! Thank you so much🙏

[@thefutur]

You can. Become a sustaining member.

[@samuri2011]

@16;17 when Jose put up that "Good People" post-it note... i really felt that. lol

[@EthanRom]

Man, that shinny object syndrome is too real. The client was a nice guy, didn't do any of the first two ones mentioned here so I really didn't notice I was going into a death trap.

[@happychampion3096]

People always like to complain when things are not the way they wanted it .If they remained silence that means that your work was excellent and they were too proud to say anything like thank you i appreciate or you did a good job because they fear that those spoken words will make them loose something call being polite and humble.

[@johncitizen8828]

Great video. Thanks Chris and Jose.

[@thefutur]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@miles.hellyer]

Really enjoyed this! Definitely some good info to have when meeting new clients!

[@thefutur]

You have to be aware of the warning signs.

[@matthewsmith1547]

This is really good and so straight forward

8 bad clients disliked this video

[@Nicholaskinyi254]

This video really helped me. Thank You

[@siobhansyt]

First of all, I love that song you guys played in the end lol. As for clients, I've literally had all of the clients that you've named *smh* This was a really awesome video! It'd be great to see a video on good designers vs. not so great ones. Especially from a hiring/outsourcing standpoint. Thanks guys!!

[@thefutur]

Great suggestion.

[@sgtm15x]

best! i can watch each episode over and over again. thanks chris and jose!

[@thefutur]

We count on you doing so!

[@OrientalGirl520]

apart from clients, its also a lesson for "Bad Boss and Managers Red Flags and Warning Signs"

[@thefutur]

True.

[@fluxfive]

Great analysis of the Good, the Bad & the Ugly of clients. Kudos on the intro/outro trax!

[@thefutur]

jorge vallejo you get more good, bad or ugly clients?

[@fluxfive]

I get a mix of clients since I run an in-house agency. But for the most part, they're good as long as I educate them on certain boundaries similar to the ones shared in the video.

[@thefutur]

jorge vallejo having clear boundaries is key.

[@thercious]

So much valuable info in this video! The only problem for me now is trying to find this remix of Body Movin' hahaha

[@daniel.adeyemi]

Best advice: Be Selective

[@RogerDarnell]

Great to know you guys are focused on being great clients yourselves... : ^ )

[@thefutur]

I hope we are Roger.

[@RogerDarnell]

Definitely. : ^ )

[@himanshushah8926]

Thanks chris for sharing valuable insights!

[@Adlip_Kun]

Thanks for this video ♥️

[@RodrigoTasca]

Well, I just found my answer!

[@RickSerenity]

Thank you for the wisdom!

[@jamalrippy8136]

You guys hit soooooo many great points!

[@thefutur]

Thank you. We know that we touched on some key pain points.

[@matthewjacobs6866]

You guys rock, thanks for the help!

[@alleycat2502]

I’ve been thinking about teaching myself graphic design 😂 and now I’m second guessing cus now I realize I have to think about marketing and clientele feedback, handling face to face meetings about pricing. I didn’t realize so much more goes into it. There are whole teams that rely on each other to pull projects together 😅 I just wanted to create creative things aaah

[@danrazART]

Good, God! Chris, you are describing 90% of the client in this world in the BAD category! the only other good ones left are SANTA CLAUS and FAIRY GoDmother!

[@partyhaad]

Amazing! Thank you for this!

[@robertsacamano]

This channel is really helping me

[@thefutur]

Glad to hear. Thanks for commenting.

[@northernsegageorge6510]

In my first web development job we had a client sent from Satan himself. Business I worked for did free web design prototypes in hope of securing a contract which was a major red flag, but young and dumb. This one client dropped off a box of about 90 photos and expected us to scan every last one and test them out on the prototype web page. Nothing was ever good enough. This went on for months and months and no idea why the owners just fired the client. I gave up and said no more. That client went through more design agencies and years later still had no web site. Thankfully I work for a proper software engineering company now.

[@thefutur]

Glad to hear

[@dod476]

Hi chris , your contents are very usefull and informative that gives me the courage to be an young successful entrepreneur . U are best mentor ever for me .

[@GLYNDYER]

Great episode.....

[@ohworldgirl]

Chris Do is the truth

[@GLYNDYER]

Realisation! Work for them once, realise they are bad and will always be bad and don’t work for them again. Nothing worse than being a two-time loser about to carry on making the same mistakes.

[@nirvanakun]

This is pure gold. I just have one question - HOW do you say no without sounding like a total jerk? How do tell them that it's not going to work without hurting their feelings? Thanks in advance.

[@CloudsLikeThese]

The outro music 🤌🏻

[@kaing4992]

How do we turn down a client if I get a bad vibe? My guts told me it’s gonna be a difficult job. Should I still go for it because I want to build my portfolio as a freelancer or just walk away? Thank you the video though!!! It’s really helpful!

[@ilove2929]

the guy in the cap talks longer ..dominating

[@TruthSubjective]

thank you

[@TonyLopezArts]

Lol "I design sandwiches..." love that. Need it as a ring tone.

[@thefutur]

Tony / LopezArts we might be able to make that happen.