Cutting Ties with Soul Sucking Clients

Becoming a Freelance Writer

As a business owner, or a freelancer, one thing can send you looking online for jobs fast is a soul-sucking client. A soul-sucking client may come in many varieties from time suckers to overly critical to just outright nasty. Some people think if they are paying you, they can do whatever they want to you. This is sad but guess what, you can prevent it, and you can do something about it right away when you notice it. Let’s look more into how you can cut ties with soul-sucking clients without selling yours.

Prevention is Key

The very first thing you can do regarding soul-sucking clients is not to work with them in the first place. One way to avoid that is to screen your clients carefully. Set up interviewing and on-boarding systems that ensure a smooth transition for you and them. For example, set up an interview process to weed through clients. Set up policies and procedures in a manual, and make sure it’s all available to your clients for reference.

If All Else Fails

No on-boarding system is perfect. You will need to improve it as you go. If you find yourself working with someone you view as soul-sucking and a serious problem to your work and happiness, you’ll have to deal with it head-on. How you deal with it will depend on the client, but most of the time the best thing to do is look to your contract and then send a notice that you’re ending the contract per the agreement. Telling the soul-sucking client why will probably not help much. The more professional thing to do is just let them know when you’re ending the contract by notice so that they can find someone else.

You Are a Professional

One thing to remember is that you are a professional. If you want people to view you as a professional, you must behave as a professional. Set up an on-boarding system, provide “how to work with me” information in your welcome kit, and develop a contract that all parties sign. This alone will prevent you from even attracting a problem client. But when it does happen, understand that you have a right to deal with it professionally and end the situation.

When you first set up an on-boarding system chances are it won’t work perfectly right off the bat. Just like your contract. You will need to tweak it and adjust it as you experience working with different types of people. If something does go wrong, the sooner you address it with the client, the better. If you cannot fix it, do not hesitate to give notice as soon as you can per your contract and agreement.

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