subject: Firing A Client - Some Customers Just Are Not Worth Having [print this page] Sometimes some customers just are not worth the hassle.
I am sure that a lot of sales people have had the client from hell. These are the sorts of clients that you dread talking to on the phone because you know that there will always be an issue of some sort.
Sometimes you have to go through and vet your clients and see if there is any that you want to fire. I know that this may seem counterproductive to what sales is all about, but sometimes it is the best thing that you can do, not only for you, but for your client also.
Recently a colleague of mine asked me what I thought she should do about a client that was never happy. She told me that she and the client would negotiate a contract and after the service was delivered the client would complain about the fees that they would have to pay. My friend told me that she even reduced her fees substantially for the client; below what everyone else paid here and that the client was still not happy.
I asked her if she is making any money off the client and she said "No". To which I asked, "Then why are your doing business with this person?" My friend could not come up with a single good reason to keep doing business with the clients, but could come up with a lot of reasons why she should not be doing business. In this case, it is pretty clear that if the client does not want to agree to terms and conditions of contracts and is going to complain every time, then why not take the time that the client is stealing from you and go find a client who you will like working with.
Perhaps you should make it a habit annually or quarterly. Go through your account base and figure out whom you might not want to do business with. My suggestion is that once you have identified a client that falls into this category, that you set up a meeting and talk to them. You may find out that the client did not know that they were being difficult and you might be able to work something out. If you cannot, a better bet is to not keep them hanging, have someone you can refer them to.
Think about firing a client this way, life is too short to work with those you can not stand, so why stay working with them. Pass them off to someone who might be able to help them and that way you can go out and find your ideal clients.
