The 7 Signs That It's Time to Part Ways with a Customer

It's a common problem for company owners throughout the world: having to "fire" a customer. Because of the nature of my work, this is a circumstance that has never occurred to me until now. In the end, I realized that not every customer was an ideal client for me as my ability to scrutinize clients grew. Since I meet so many potential clients, more than half of them aren't the right match. Sometimes, like Donald Trump in "The Apprentice," you simply have to tell someone, "You're fired!"

Keeping PITA (I'll let you figure out that term) clients might have a negative impact on your company. Providing excellent customer service consumes all of your time and energy. As a result, you lose interest in marketing your company and finding new customers because you are too busy servicing your current ones. In the face of adversity, you begin to doubt whether or not it was worth it to establish a company in the first place.

There are times when it's difficult to let go of a bad customer. Even if it's an option, it's best to let go of the customer. On the subject, I came across a wonderful quotation. In his book, Handbook for the Soul, author Benjamin Shield writes, "One of the most difficult problems faced by human beings is letting go." Letting go has always seemed to me to be like a shift from a closed fist to an open hand. By adopting an open-handed approach to life, we may liberate ourselves from our own self-made obstacles. It is essential that we be willing to let go of our personas, the inauthentic aspects of our personality that no longer benefit us. It is only when we choose to let go that we are free to pursue the road to our soul.

Freeing oneself from a terrible client decision really does pave the road to following your spirit, as this phrase expresses. Reconnecting to your business and life goals and your soul will be restored when you find the appropriate clientele with whom you are in sync, bringing you pleasure and fulfillment once more. PITA customers are a waste of time, and you don't have time for them. Are there any of these seven signals that your client roster needs to be reshuffled?

Whenever the customer calls, you dread it. Stop avoiding calls from others because talking to them makes you angry or resentful. If this is the case, it's time to take some action. The more you look forward to your clients' phone calls, the more enjoyable your contacts with them will be on a daily basis.

The customer is very picky about every cost and expects activities to be completed in the same amount of time regardless of who is doing them. When customers "knew" I was shortchanging them and maintained that what I was doing for them wouldn't take others in my area as long to finish, they demanded that my charge be adjusted proportionately. Since then, I've learned that the client's lack of confidence in me has nothing to do with my abilities or abilities as a professional. There are plenty of other clients out there, so don't allow a "nitpicker" to make you question yourself.

The only sort of request your customer makes of you is an urgent one. Trying to do anything swiftly and accurately while under time constraints is a recipe for disaster. Certain people prefer to live their lives in the present.However, living a life of urgency is a high-stress lifestyle that has a significant impact on both the body and the soul. A better option for a customer is someone who organizes and arranges their time well enough so that emergencies are unusual.

There is no advancement because of the lack of customer follow-through. What percentage of the time with a customer do you really spend working on their project rather than just going through the plans and responsibilities? Having a customer who claims she wants a specific outcome but seems to be stuck in the planning phase is difficult. As a result, you spend all of your time reviewing rather than working with the client in the present.A "coaching" role may be appropriate for you to assist the customer in recognizing the obstacles she's encountering. If, on the other hand, she refuses to talk about what's holding her back and you're becoming more frustrated by her inaction, it's time to let her go.

It's no secret that your customer loves being micromanaged. When a customer hires me, it's usually because they have an issue that needs solving, and I have the right answer. However, I've had customers who wouldn't allow me to address their issue in the method I believe is best for them. They insist on being engaged in every stage of the process and insist on having their approval given for each and every one of them. As a result, they tend to think that excellent management necessitates micromanaging every action their colleagues perform. In order to have a successful relationship with a customer, you need to be able to bring your expertise to the table and assist them with solving their problem in a way that works for both of you.

It's unlikely that your customer has any experience with delegation. You can't run a successful company on your own, and most business owners know this to be the case. In order to stay focused on finding new business prospects, a successful entrepreneur relies on a strong team of employees who take on the activities she doesn't have the time to do herself. There are no "missed opportunity costs" when your customer refuses to let go of anything and insists on performing the same things that you were engaged to accomplish. Rather than working "on" the company, it may be simpler for a business owner to work "in" the business instead. This is because doing so often necessitates shifting into marketing and sales mode, which many business owners despise. Doing what she does well, a terrific customer delegated the remainder of her responsibilities.

Your customer has a lot of problems with money. How much money can your customers truly spend on your services? There are instances when they're at the beginning stages of a business or they're having a cash flow problem. Your price is a constant topic of conversation for them, and they're often late in paying your bills. It takes a lot of time and effort to keep track of their payments. One of the best clients is one who knows your payment terms and can afford to pay your charge.

I'm well aware that perfecting your ability to choose customers that are a good match for you needs practice and a trip to the "school of hard knocks." Take a look at your company standards and see if you need to increase them in order to better choose your clients. As a basic rule, you should never deal with a customer you don't love working with. If you let go of the ones who aren't, new customers will replace the ones who aren't.