7 signs you have a TOXIC CLIENT (and what to do about it)
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- Опубликовано: 22 июл 2024
- Not every client is a good fit for you - but some are downright toxic to your business and health. Here are 7 signs that you might have a toxic client in your roster:
1. They don’t respect your boundaries.
2. They are condescending and rude.
3. They treat you like an employee (not a freelancer).
4. You can never do anything right.
5. Everything is urgent.
6. They don’t pay you on time.
7. You feel anxious when you think about them.
If you do find yourself working with a toxic client, don’t panic (yet). First, try to re-establish your boundaries. If they’re unwilling to work within the parameters you set for your own business, it might be time to drop them.
💻 Link to how to fire clients without burning bridges: • How to Fire a Horrible...
🌈 Special thanks to Victoria Tretis for this list of toxic traits. Victoria is a coach, trainer and mentor for established assistants. Check out her work here: www.victoriatretis.co.uk/7-si...
💻 Link to the course with the 80/20 principal: www.udemy.com/course/5-essent...
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Развлечения
Amen! That is why I do a discovery call before working with anyone. That doesn't screen out all of them, but it definitely helps. I have only had to escape one client. She was so bad I had to block her email and her phone number for calling my phone.
Oh my goodness that sounds HORRIBLE. Good for you for setting clear boundaries and getting out of there! I had a variety of bad clients when I first started (not knowing what I wanted for my own business at the time). Some were aggressive if I tried to set boundaries, some were micromanagers, some had zero respect for anyone’s time. The list goes on!
@@ErinBooth she was a micromanager and treated me like an employee. When I gave her notice that I was no longer going to be working with her, she then became aggressive. She actually wanted me to train my replacement. She was hiring a $7 an hour VA that had no skills. No way 👋
@@DianaWilson Oh man, sounds like she had ALL the markings of a horrible client (and it kills me when people low-ball VAs. I don't care where they reside around the world..)
@@ErinBooth I agree.
It has tempted me to do some company shaming when I see companies trying to hire a highly qualified VA for very little money.
@@DianaWilson I can't make this up: Yesterday, I called out the former CEO of Priceline when he tweeted something about hiring freelancers for $10/hour. He (or more likely his social media manager) actually tweeted an apology.
I dropped a rude client yesterday. I have zero regrets
Feels so good when you can do that! Congrats!
Me too ❤
As a barber, this is just what I’ve been looking for in finding an answer on how to deal with stubborn clients. Use the booking app, use the booking app, use the booking app. They are like an unruly child. They can use their phone(s) to gamble, chat, search the internet, post pics, vids, etc., but can’t use a booking app that is free. I just need for you to lock in your spot using the app, simply. The card on file thing is not a scary thing. It doesn’t charge you, I have the final say so on how YOU want ME to charge you. Kugh 🙄smh
Texting me on a Sunday morning when I'm in church with my family = toxic client! Fortunately she's leaving at the end of this month. I'm counting the days
Hoping she's gone!
I have a client who now sends me messages every day about all the “microagressions” she nas to deal with. EVERY F*CKING DAY. Like I’m ner therapist slash colostomy bag of all negative c*m.
Friday night at 23.38 pm... to cancel a class THEY begged to schedule as an extra (I teach). I decided there and then I wouldnt be working with them. I decided to up my fee going forward for the next renewal and restrict my availability. Luckily I think by the end of this cycle (just this past week), I am free form them. I have gained about 6-7 extra hours per week.
Calling leaving voice messages of crying and narcissistic victim. I am a long distance healer and nothing helped. She wouldn't read my reports or comment on them, nor acknowledge the healings she received along the way. I burnt out and quit responding. I finally got back to her and explained and of course got yelled at. I'm out. Stupid even dealing with this person.
You read my exhausted soul! Especially 'they treat me like a full-time employee' part. I'm a freelance graphic designer. One of my client notified 25% reduction of my fee without caring to even mention why or the lowest level of any apology, while asking for the same amount of monthly graphic design works. The stress is quite vivid and fresh as he just called me asking for some urgent vinyl graphics for his new store branch which is due on launching on.... 'yesterday'. He has been unusually demanding as asking for so many modifications on the result... Usually, I would support his whims, but I said No to him for the first time in the last 3 years working for him. Woah... my hands were shaking saying so.. but along with some catharsis chill... Good luck, all the VAs and freelancers!
WHOA. I can’t believe he reduced your fee!! He definitely doesn’t understand that freelancers are business owners - I’m so proud of you for standing your ground and telling him “no” as well!
I am dealing with a married couple, no matter what I do they are complaining. No matter how things go (even good things) they get frustrated and angry. They also have unreasonable demand, they treat me like an employee who always makes mistakes. I cried for three weeks, I couldn't sleep well, I had nightmare and headache, I constantly stressed out about them. I have anxiety and panic attack because of them. It's my huge regret to find out that they are so toxic so late. Now the case is closing but the wound they caused is still there. I don't deserve any of that after all my hard work.
That's tough, I'm so sorry! Hopefully you can find a client to replace them!
Sorry to hear. Happened to me for 2.5 months. Horrible
Just experienced this today and really am in a bad mood since i responded , they even were so rude to me and disrespectful which made me feel like i wanna throw away the fees and the job to their faces
It was a holiday today. TEN clients called me! Toxic! One of them is pushing me to work and not wanting to pay.
WOW that is AWFUL! Especially the person who doesn't want to pay you - bad clients all around!
@@ErinBooth but we are in India. Anything goes
OMG! This is very true.We are not SLAVES we are their business partners..Thanks for making these videos..I'll share this to my friends.
If a client emails you after 5pm, that doesn't mean they expect a response back - they could just be trying to get back to you in a timely manner, so that the next day you can keep things moving.
This perfectly describes how I have felt about toxic clients. Thank you!
Number 3 is something I haven't thought about, but you're right. Good to have that in mind now.
Great video. I run my own small business and let a client go yesterday. She ticked off a lot of the points that you’ve outlined here.
Firing bad clients creates scarcity for them. It also elevates your brand.
Tell me more about your take
Thank you for this! I have a call with that one client who matches all of the above and this really helps.
Love this video!
Can’t agree anymore. I am a banker and got a client who possesses every points you covered excepting point 6 because he doesn’t pay me anything.
It’s really exhausting
Sorry to hear that you’re dealing with this!
OMG GET RID OF THAT NOWWWW
I hate the fact that they show the toxic signs after few jobs i have done. some of them giving a good vibe when they come but suddenly change and demanding something non sense on me.
Sorry that happened to you!
Very important and useful video
Glad it was helpful!
Thank you
Hard relate, hard agree.
No wonder I'm studying to be a bookkeeper...minimal client contact and lots of buckos eventually....gotta do the work first. Learn a true skill and don't be beholden to anyone ever again. I've been providing senior care for the last 12 years and I am DONE with it. It's not respected nor valued. We are secondary housekeepers and considered "the help. My latest and LAST client acts as though she's doing ME a favor....she's 94. Tomorrow is my official resignation "BYE-BYE" to her and her manipulation. According to her she has had several "caregivers" that she didn't like. I was one of the two she liked. The other caregiver she had baled on her as I am about to do tomorrow. Agency I worked for didn't even let client know about my departure. I'm not saying anything. Agency is the "official employer" not the client, as a result, I keep my mouth shut.
.....enough is truly ENOUGH.
Hear hear! I’m about to revamp my entire website because like you, I was also DONE with management, abuse at work, no agency or control over projects. I wish you the best of luck!
I'm going through these situations now... I do not know what to do. I can't even feel my mind, can't find pleasure in my task. I used to enjoy all my tasks even if it is difficult one. I can't even write one line of code now. I don't feel anything anymore.
This is good.
I just, and i mean JUST, entered the world of freelancing as a videographer for my school. I started off with being a videographer of a friend where his dad pays me 50 dollars per game to film him. It's great that he pays me that much just to come to a game and film it, however, he's been guilt tripping me a lot and saying how his son is being betrayed by everyone, even his own friend (which was me). He keeps on guilt tripping and used it as a means for him not to pay me. The reason why I don't film his son that much is cause his son doesn't even have any playing time. Being a freelancer, I would film the entire game of basketball and show the beauty of the sport through teamwork and when his son plays, I run toward his side of the court and film exclusively him. But his dad thinks its not enough or proficient and keeps telling me I'm using his money for my own advantage. It's been stressing me out lately and I'm not sure if I should move on, because I formed a great bond with their family but the fact their dad is treating me more like an employee than a freelancer is making me want to quit filming for him. That, of course, will strain our relationship, exponentially.
I have a client I'm working with..who literally thinks he knows how to do my job (he doesn't), thinks the city departments work on his time (they don't), thinks I need to be 24-7 in the city trying to get his job done (I can't), then expects it done yesterday even though I told him of the cities times for returning work, etc. On top of that he wants me to answer questions in areas I have no expertise in...and a warning to all, if you don't really know, Don't say anything! They will try to use that against you when ever they can. I don't get bad clients like this often, but when I do I get the job done faster to get them out of my life and avoid them like the plague and NEVER work with them again.
Wow, this person sounds like a real peach! I have totally worked with personalities like this before, they make everything a lot harder and more stressful than it needs to be! Hope you're able to replace them with someone better soon!
Before playing the video I was just reading the description, I was like " Oh great, I'm with a toxic client. How do I quit?"
My first freelance experience is so horrible. My client always pays me late, reduces my paycheck saying that their client were out of budget but still adding more tasks for me to do. They were too demanding, saying that they can do more than what I can. They also accused me of things I have never did thru chat but decided to delete the conversation and never did apologize when they realized that I've never done it. My reputation to my collaborators was also affected due to their doing. Once they get what they want from the partnership and leads, they won't return the favor.
I want to quit but don't know how. They might not pay me for the two month effort I did. Also need the cash to support my brothers education so I'm stuck in this suck fest.
I am currently dealing with one, but I am doing art. One was super happy with results and accepted them. And after the second order, they suddenly changed their mind about the previous one and when I said that I can remake it, but for extra charge, they are saying that I ever said I will change what they wish before (which I really said but it meant about trifles not literally everything form 0). Ahhh
YIKES, sorry you're dealing with that!
I literally have ALL of these with one client. Especially the anxiety one... when I see the name pop up in my inbox I just avoid it until I cannot anymore. And also all the other.... have to cut this client
I HATE that feeling, it's beyond horrible. So sorry you're dealing with a stressful client, and I hope you're able to drop them!
Yes to all of these! 😂
I am a lawyer.Thankyou
Unfortunately We lawyers experience all these types of ppl
I have one client with all these signs which you have mentioned but the problem is I cannot leave him or live without him, because from this toxic client we are gaining huge profit but still he is giving me a lot of stress 😩 what to do
That's hard! Hit the ground hard and look to replace them with another client as soon as you can.
thank you I found your video I a new VA and I had this my 1st client treated me as an employee and other than that from my whole shift she nagged at me and told me Im slow and told me I don't know how to use computer,she wants me to work fast like Im just started knowing her business,and I worked for her 7 days a week coz she said she cant train me during weekdays So during thise days I just need to watch on the computer what shes doing,the last I attended her training was she insulted me I did try to do private talk to her but she did it again so I just tell her I cant take that anymore so I did not continue working with her though I badly need money..
I am so sorry to hear that you're dealing with this. This truly sounds like a nightmare client who is taking advantage of your time and has no respect for your business, your hours, or your skills.
Hello! Thank you for telling me what I may have done to “break rapport” with the business who sent me a letter of termination. I worked 4 times with this business and one or two interactions that seemed minor to me, maybe was too much to handle for the business. 1) I treated the receptionist as an employee 2) made it a sense of urgency because I had been asking for one thing for four months which hadn’t put me on an important waiting list, and I was very polite about it. 3) I was rude 4) did not understand the boundaries.
So, I can understand that if the receptionist thought of me, it could cause anxiety. I have a few questions for you or other subscribers, please.
Here is the background and timeline of events that lead them to terminate me as a client:
I have a history of being called “too nice” and a “push over people pleaser” and “always taken advantage of” so I have been doing a lot in the last 1.5 years to self improve my interactions, which is how I came to your video… so in my initial call, I had asked about something that was most important to me. I went, paid a lot of money for some services but my request (I was very polite) was not addressed so I didn’t know about a waiting list. Secondly, I did business, the business did a very good job, but when I asked about my initial request, again, it was talked over and around and I got no answer. They also didn’t do something they said they would do so they offered a free something and said okay but didn’t make them live up to that. I did not express my disappointment but I did give a small inflection of dissatisfaction in my voice before I left as I accepted that it wasn’t that important. The third interaction, I sent some documents showing one thing didn’t need to be done, but I kept forgetting to put things in the email by mistake. I know sending multiple emails is frowned upon but I was a perfectionist and did it anyway because I was worried about going through a process, and paying a lot for something which had already been taken care of. I can see it was unnecessary now and my anxiety probably gave anxiety to the receptionist. Finally, I was told after four months that I needed to be put on a waiting list for my biggest request, so yes, I got upset and became panic stricken. This is where I lost respect and lost it, as they would have perceived it. The receptionist gave me feedback and said sorry and tried her best to tell me the limitations of the service I needed. She gave me recommendations and in 1hr the whole thing was over. I was embarrassed so I didn’t contact them. I set an appointment far beyond my needs. Her recommendations did not help and it took two weeks to find a business to help my needs in a timely manner. As I did not want to get upset when emailed twice about my first appointment reminder, I did not reply. I can understand why this was a sign of disrespect to the first business. So finally I responded inappropriately as I still had hard feelings about my needs being unaddressed for so long. The appointment is still a month and a half away and I agreed it’s okay to cancel. Then I received an email saying I did not respond so my appointment was canceled. Lastly, by mail, I received a notice that I am singly the one who broke rapport.
what do I do now that I understand my part in the loss of rapport? I don’t feel like I did anything so bad enough to be terminated. Firstly, I didn’t get a warning notifying me of what they need from me in order to re-establish rapport together. Secondly, why am I at 100% fault when I wasn’t taken seriously as a client several times?
Lastly, how can I express myself now to remedy anything?
Also in the background, I did absolutely nothing to be terminated from a dentist I had good rapport with as I was happy with the services. I may have had a negative outlook on life and overshared personal info because two significant people in my life had very recently died and I was grieving at the time. They terminated me and I had followed the rules and received good care. However, out of the blue, the dentist canceled my appointment set the week prior the day of the appointment and was mailed a notice of termination?? Is there a list with my name on it or something? I have no idea what is going on with my care in this city?
I would appreciate any responses! Thank you in advance.
VA is pure skill less repetition.
How do you have your clients set up automatic payment? What software do you use for that? Please respond soon. Great video!
Good questions! I use a combo of direct deposit (for clients who are part of big companies and have their payroll set me up on recurring payments). Some clients use bill.com - which also deposits payments directly into my accounts. Others use Zelle, which also hit my account instantly.
got into a huge arguement with a client today. every client i had is always very happy and im an honest hard working man. But this guy is so toxic i can't do anything right. he barely talks and when he talks he is mad about nothing. So i asked him how he thinks its okay to talk to me like that! i stopped in the middle of the job. worst experience ive had so far. good thing most people are great.
WOW, I'm sorry that happened to you, but good for you for standing up for yourself!
What is your input if you are security doing work say for a hotel??? Staff treating you like you should be 5 places at once when you are alone…
Sounds like it's time for a new job! Easier said than done, I know. Is there a sympathetic manager that you can speak to about setting realistic boundaries?
She is so treu. 2 cliënts they did not respect my bounderies i had to fire them. Its the best i did
What do you do when they are your biggest client?
Oof that is a tough spot to be in. I was in your position years ago where my biggest client at the time was my worst client too. I saved all my pennies, and eventually, I had enough in savings to cover my bills for a few months. Then I dropped them and dedicated myself to finding a replacement. It's been over a decade but if I am remembering correctly, it took me about 2 month to find a better paying and nicer client. We still work together today.
You can't always be nice to clients.
🤣
This was amazing advice thank you
You're so welcome!
I just cut one toxic client out off my life i work so hard as a bookkeeper for her and she dont appreciate me.shouting at me demanding, things. Because she is going to divorce. Is that my fck problem?
Right?? Sorry you went though that and good for you!
I saw your video and this is so true 🎉. I'm a gohighlevel expert and salesfunnel and website designer and I really agree with this
03:12 what happened to you? Does toxic client turn off the cam? 😆
??
@Erin Booth forget that unsellable joke
What happens when a client is all 7? 😂
Time to run!!
Or buy a lotto ticket
☠️☠️☠️
Well client should hire you just to see you beautiful face everyday that would make their day perfect 😍