If you work with clients on a Freelance basis for any period of time, you will start building your own horror stories about your "Clients From Hell" and wonder how everything suddenly went wrong. Our goal is to help you change that and make your Clients from Hell become your absolute best clients. We'll be going over principles, processes and precautions to incorporate into your interactions with clients to help you: • Prepare more carefully when scoping your projects to catch the issues before they get out of hand • Engage more thoughtfully with communication and become more aware of problems in the project pipeline • Pump up your Contracts with the proper precautions to protect you and your business, just in case you get into problems with a client that can't be fixed. We won't be doing any Client bashing stories; the primary focus of this discussion is to be aware of the warning signs for particular types of clients so you can turn them into good clients.

1. Clients from HELL
A Freelancer’s Toolkit
for Dealing with Problem Clients

2. Our Team of Freelancers
Jim True,
Project Manager & Support Lead, Pods
Framework
@jimtrue
Allison Foxhall,
Owner/CEO, GobbleLogic
@afoxhall
Thomas Giella,
owner, Gearspinners
@tgiella
Andrew Norcross
Lead Developer,
Reaktiv Studios
@norcross

3. Your Toolkit

4. expectations
communication
documentation

5. the clients

6. High Maintenance
Drama Queen

8. High Maintenance Drama Queen
● unrealistic
expectations
● everything is
a firedrill
● believes they
are your
ONLY client

9. High Maintenance Drama Queen: WEAKNESSES
● be calm &
reassuring
● drama +
drama = FIRE
● estimate ++
deliver --
● Identify REAL
emergencies

10. the
Boundary
Pusher

12. the BOUNDARY Pusher
● your #1 FAN
● no boundaries
● calls at all
hours
● works 24/7
expects you to
as well

13. the BOUNDARY Pusher: WEAKNESSES
● maintain
boundaries
● charge $$
off-hours
● establish
rigid support
process

14. the
ClueLess
Client

16. the ClueLess Client
● have no clue
what they
want
● but it isn’t
THAT
● no idea of
cost/time or
effort

17. the CLUELESS Client: WEAKNESSES
● education
during design
● get them to
provide samples
at interview
● separate
design &
development

18. the
Many Headed
Hydra

20. the Many Headed Hydra
● design by
committee
● incoherent
scope changes
● common with
non-profits
government

21. the Many Headed Hydra: WEAKNESSES
● SINGLE
decision maker
● simplify
project steps
● clear project
phases &
milestones

22. the
Invisible Man
&
NINJA

24. the Invisible Man (& ninja)
● never
communicates
● sits on review
documents
● appears out
of nowhere
with ASAP
changes

25. the Invisible Man (& ninja): WEAKNESSES
● establish
deadlines for
review
● regular
status updates
● expiration
clause for
project

26. the
Penny Pincher
&
Nit Picker

28. the Penny Pincher & Nit Picker
● focuses on
minor details
● obsessed with
how much it
all costs
● constantly
looking for
a DEAL

29. the Penny Pincher & Nit Picker: WEAKNESSES
● charge $$
for ALL
changes
● reduce scope
never price
● get them
focused on
big picture

30. the
SCOPE
Creeper

32. the SCOPE Creeper
● can’t we just?
● just one more
thing
● Scope is
always a
moving target

33. the SCOPE Creeper: WEAKNESSES
● charge for
scope changes
● CLEAR
project
milestones
● focus on the
GOAL
● get it in
writing

34. SUMMARY
✘ Remember your Toolkit (Identify Expectations, Communicate
Regularly and Document EVERYTHING)
✘ Get good at identifying the Problems during the Interview Phase;
you can debug & deal with the bad clients much easier earlier in the
project.
✘ Protect yourself with good contract language: Build project phases,
timelines, deadlines, payment milestones and expiration clauses into
your contract language.

35. Special thanks to Nathan Ingram @nathaningram
http://www.slideshare.net/nathaningram/the-freelance-ninjas-guide-to-clients
Also check out, Stories from Clients From Hell:
ClientsFromHell.net
thanks!

36. Additional Thanks to:
Iron Yard Tampa
St Pete Campus
Campus Director,
Toni Aliberti
@theironyard
Thanks for hosting us
every other 1st
Thursday of the Month
Tampa Bay WordPress
& WordCamp Tampa
WordCamp Tampa 9/25-27
USF Marshall Student Center
tampa.wordcamp.org
WordPress Meetups:
meetup.com/Tampa-Bay-WordPress