Have you faced this situation? A client feels perfect in the beginning. The calls go smoothly, the deal is finalised for the long term, and because of urgency, you onboard the client without a second thought. The team feels that they have grabbed a strong opportunity.
However, you face the real problems after the project starts. The expectations are vague, the frequency of revisions increases, payments are delayed, and the communication becomes unclear. Many warning signals are visible from the start, but you ignore them in the hurry of closing the deal.
This blog shares the signs you, as a founder, should consider, as well as a screening process for identifying the right client.
Client Issues Start Before Signing the Contract
Many client issues are visible even before signing a contract. However, businesses ignore them because their actual focus is on closing the deal. The reason could be revenue pressure, or the founders believe they can manage the client.
Also, when a client comes with a long term deal, teams usually don’t take the warning signs seriously. The experienced founders notice a pattern. They know that difficult clients don’t suddenly become difficult to handle. Their behaviour can easily be spotted in the conversations.
The early warning signs might be:
- Setting unrealistic deadlines before onboarding
- Not explaining the project goals in detail
- Aggressive negotiation in every discussion
- Changing the expectations at any time
- “We can discuss this later” type approach
- Creating unnecessary urgency
Good clients always want clarity for both parties. However, difficult clients might start creating confusion from the beginning.
Early Warning Signs to Know if the Client is Wrong
Some clients look normal at the time of closing the deal, but their behaviour can give you early warning signs. If you observe these signs while onboarding the client, you might not face future issues.
1. They Don’t Discuss Specific Requirements
If you see a client avoiding specific requirements from the beginning, they might be the wrong person to close a deal with. Due to the lack of specifications, deliverables are not well defined, priorities change regularly, budgets become vague, and no clear timelines are given.
Sometimes the client works with an approach where they just want to start the work and delay finalising the details. However, this creates confusion. Experienced teams know that the clients who avoid clarity during the onboarding phase later complain about revisions, misunderstandings, and mismatched expectations.
2. They Try to Rush the Process
Some clients don’t believe in building trust and rush through the process. They want to start the work as soon as possible without proper documents. Usually, they avoid making a contract or believe in avoiding formalities. Initially, all these things might be exciting and depict speed; however, later, they create accountability issues.
A good and professional client respects the process and wants everything in writing to avoid confusion later. They don’t want to rush the process and want everything to go by procedure. They also understand the value of clarity, approvals, and responsibilities.
3. The Business Information Doesn’t Add Up Completely
If the client’s business information does not match what they had told, it might be an early warning sign. The signs may include that the company information might vary across different platforms, the online presence might be weak, or there’s no clarity of operations and ownership.
Not every business has a digital presence, but the credibility signals are visible. That’s why it is important to verify the company’s background and credibility before signing the deal. Many businesses also use public company intelligence programs like Tofler to check the background, financial details, and credibility.
Screening Process to Ease the Process of Finding the Right Client
It is not easy and practical to investigate each client deeply, especially for small teams and startups. However, you can simplify the process by following three simple steps, which are as follows.
Step 1 – Ask Questions About the Operation Methods
It is not sufficient to discuss only the project during the onboarding phase. Smart teams generally ask questions that help them understand how the potential client works and what they are expecting. This way, the unrealistic expectations are visible through the direct answers.
You can ask the questions:
- Who approves the final decisions?
- How do they see project success?
- How do they manage timelines?
- If they have faced any issues with the previous agencies, and if so, why?
- Who will be the main person to communicate with?
You might get clarity about the process through these answers. If the process feels organised, you can move forward; otherwise, change your decision.
Step 2 – Watch Out for Patterns in Communication
The communication approach that clients adopt gives a lot of insight into them. In cases where the cooperation between the parties is not effective at the onset of the process, problems may arise in terms of project execution. Successful communication involves technical knowledge and budget.
Ineffective communication may include:
- Delays in response without any explanation
- Lack of cohesiveness in communication
- Unspecified point of contact
- Unspecified division of roles
- Repeating of discussions
- Shifts in priorities
Under normal circumstances, a seasoned team would have been able to identify the communication level of the prospective client. The end product would be delayed projects.
Step 3 – Verifying Basic Information
Background checking is not mandatory for all customers. However, this doesn’t imply that verification of basic information is unnecessary. This is especially important when it comes to working with new enterprises or agencies. This will ensure that there are no future payment problems.
Some of the basic checks that can be conducted are as follows:
- Is the site updated and reliable?
- Does the company conduct its business operations actively?
- Is there any issue regarding payment and integrity with the company?
- Is there an online presence of the company?
- Is the online presence of the company authentic?
The whole procedure should not be difficult in any manner. You must never put your blind faith in your clients. Make sure that all the required checks are completed before anything else.
Conclusion
The problem with the wrong client becomes complicated when time goes by. Any complications at the beginning that have been ignored might become a problem regarding communication, payment, and even performance later on. That is why we need to identify the initial signs while signing a deal with the client. Always discuss what specifications they want, how to proceed, and find their business information. Also, conduct screening among our clients for a successful deal.
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