Feedback Form
Home Features Mastermind Forums About Advertise Blog Network Contact Be An Author

Ready Aim Fire How to Professionally End Your Working Relationship with a Client

Ready Aim Fire How to Professionally End Your Working Relationship with a Client

One of the most predictable, sure fire ways to get a room full of professionals and business owners to sweat is discussing the firing of a client who drives them crazy. Some clients cost more than they could ever pay them in fees. We have all had these types of clients. Professionals and business owners sweat over this, as do most business people, because it is a painful situation that we will do anything in our power to avoid.

Remember that although firing a client is a very tough thing to do, continuing to work with an abrasive, rude, fee grinding, unappreciative, unethical or incompatible client is much harder on you in the long term. You know the stress these clients create for you and your firm. The truth is that they are not worth the stress and you know it, but you keep hoping they will just go away on their own. If that happened, I would not be writing this article and I would not be spending many hours each month helping people rid their firms of these problem clients.

There is good news. Firing a client is not always necessary. In some cases you can raise the bar and set higher expectations with them. There are very respectful, professional ways to fire clients. This is the focus of my article “Raising the Bar on Headache Clients.”

How to Rid Your Firm of Clients You Can No Longer Work With

Stage 1 – Never fire as the first step

Be sure you’ve raised the bar first. The most important part of this process is to ensure that you have been fair and professional with the client. That means letting the client know your expectations that are not being met.

In most of the cases I see, the professional or business owner is frustrated with the behaviour of a client and out of frustration, wants to get rid of them. The problem is that usually the client does not know that their behaviour is unacceptable. The client's methods of getting results may include complaining to get their invoice discounted, paying only after numerous reminder calls, dropping off work without adequate time to complete it and generally being rude to the staff. And, because they’ve been doing the same thing over and over for the past 15 years, without anyone ever suggesting that there was a problem, the client assumed things were fine. The only person to blame here is the professional or business owner, not the client.

There is only one solution to this dilemma. Let the client know the expectations that are not being met and give them a chance to meet them. Be sure to follow up your expectations in writing. If the client does not reasonably meet your expectations, move on to stage two. There are some situations where you may skip stage one altogether, such as those involving criminal activity.



Stage 2 – Firing Should Never Come as a Surprise to the Client

Just as with an employee, firing a client shouldn’t come as a shock, unless a criminal or unethical act has been committed.

After the client has been given a chance to shape up (stage one), you can consider ending the relationship.

There are two styles to ending a relationship:


1. the “You’re fired” approach made popular by Mr. Donald Trump, and

2. the “We are not meant to work together” approach preferred by professionals.


Now, I’m not suggesting that Mr. Trump’s approach does not work. It is just not an approach that most professionals I work with would be comfortable using. I think that is a good thing.


Honesty is the Best Policy

The “We are not meant to work together” approach is extremely effective because it relies on honesty and being straightforward. In today’s world, we are bombarded with people telling us what we want to hear because they want something from us. Honesty is surprisingly refreshing. This approach allows people to resolve problems with respect and professionalism.


Steps for Talking Tough

What I want to convey is that it is essential to speak personally with the client. No letters in the mail allowed at this point. That is not respectful. Ideally, meet your client face to face or, failing that, speak with them on the phone. Why? Because it can save you a ton of headaches. One practitioner I know of tried the “mail and pray” approach to firing a client, and next thing they knew, the client was soooo angry at getting fired via a letter, they filed an ethics complaint. That was a mess.


Four Steps to Conflict Resolution

1. Get permission: Ensure clients have time to talk and pay attention when you make contact.

2. The facts: Stick to the key facts of the situation involving the two of you.

3. How you feel: Tell the client about the dilemma you face and the discomfort you are in.

4. Resolution: Communicate how you see ending the relationship.

This is a very simple and effective approach to resolving client conflicts. I’ll share with you a few different situations and what the conversations may sound like when applying this approach.

Situation One

Your client continues to not pay their invoices on time and you do not want to argue anymore to get paid.

Step 1 – Permission

“Hi Sally, it’s Jane, your _____________, calling. Do you have a couple of minutes to talk?”

Step 2 – The Facts

“Jane, every year we do work for you but need to hunt you down to get paid. We spend a lot of time negotiating our invoice and end up giving you a discount."

Step 3 – How You Feel

“I must tell you, I find this exhausting. I just can’t do it anymore. I find it very stressful and assume it is probably not fun for you either.”

Step 4 – Resolution

“I have decided that it's best for you to find another professional to work with. This is not working for either of us. We are obviously not meant to work together if all this negotiation is required for me to get paid. To be honest with you, it is too stressful for me. I like you but our business relationship just doesn’t seem to work.

The only other option is to have you pay in advance. I am not sure if you will find this a reasonable arrangement but it is the only way it will work for me. How would you like to handle this?”

Situation 2

A client keeps asking you to do things that you are not willing to do for ethical reasons.

Step 1 – Permission

“Hi Steve, it’s Jack, your ______________. Do you have a couple of minutes?”

Step 2 – The Facts

“Steve, over the past year in working with you it’s become clear that we have two very different takes on ____________. You really want me to push and do things that are much more aggressive than I am willing to do. It is just not my style.”

Step 3 – How You Feel

“I must tell you that it really stresses me out because, while I do want to help you, at the same time, I have to stick with my principles. I need to feel comfortable with my name on the work I have done for you at the end of the year and I have to be able to sleep at night.”

Step 4 – Resolution

“I am calling today to suggest you find an ___________ who is a better fit with your style of dealing with the situation; someone who is more willing to look at things the way you do. I just don’t think that person is me. We are going to continue to bash heads and have conflict. From my side, I don’t think it is worth continuing our business relationship.”

Situation 3

A client has moved into a business that is more complicated and requires expertise you do not possess.

Step 1 – Permission

“Hi Sam, it’s Brian your ____________ calling. Do you have a minute to talk?”

Step 2 – The Facts

“Sam, it’s so wonderful to see how your business is thriving. I am thrilled for you. The challenge for me is that your business now requires expertise that is beyond the scope of what I am comfortable doing.

Step 3 – How You Feel

“This is not a fun conversation to have because I like you and enjoy working with you. But I truly feel that I would be doing you a disservice if I continue as your ____________. I believe there are other professionals who could do a much better job for you because their expertise better meets your needs."

Step 4 – Resolution

“I would like to direct you to two or three other firms or the ____________Association for referrals that you can check out for yourself. They would be able to provide more value for you by meeting the future needs of your company."


Summary

The key to firing a client is to be respectful and professional. Be sure that you have initially raised the bar with the client so it is not a surprise if you actually have to fire them. The most professional way to fire is to use the Four Step Conflict Resolution model to communicate the facts without placing blame. Explain the situation that has led you to conclude that the two of you were not meant to work together.

One final reminder, if you are unsure about this, get help. Eliminating this type of client from your practice will do wonders for your morale and productivity and will make room for more ideal clients to show up. However, you must first get rid of the ones that are driving you crazy. If you are not comfortable doing it on your own, contact your association, or consider hiring someone like me for coaching. Whatever choice you make, you deserve to have quality clients. I wish you all the best.


CRITICAL NOTE:

If you have any concerns that there could be a backlash, such as a lawsuit or ethics complaint, as a result of firing this client, be sure to contact an advisor at your industry association or another professional such as a lawyer for help BEFORE you take action. You may still want to let go of your client, but you also want to make sure you are fully prepared for any reaction your client may have in store for you.





Ready Aim Fire How to Professionally End Your Working Relationship with a Client - To learn more about this author, visit Kevin Lawrence's Website.

Like this article? Share it with your friends

Article Feedback
 Article Feedback No article feedback found.
  Leave Your Feedback
article feedback

Article Feedback
Casey Gollan
Casey Gollan, Business Coaching & Mentoring Programs. Add $1 Million to $10 Million in the next 1 to 3 years. Since 1996 Casey has to added hundreds of millions of dollars to businesses. Watch a free video see client results Business Coaching website. - Visit Casey Gollan's Website

David Barr
David Barr is the President of Venture Opportunities, Inc. David has been a professional business broker/intermediary since 1980 focusing on General Business Brokerage and Mergers and Acquisitions representing client transaction value from $400,000 to $20,000,000. Mr. Barr has handled the sale of over four hundred and fifty companies. David earned a university degree from the State University of New York majoring in economics and business. David holds the Mergers and Acquisition Master Intermediary and the Certified Business Intermediary designations from the International Business Brokers Association. He is also a Senior Business Analyst and a Texas licensed Real Estate Agent. For more information about David and Venture Opportunities, visit www.bizdealmaker.com. - Visit David Barr's Website

Linda Richardson
Linda Richardson is the Founder and Executive Chairwoman of Richardson, a global sales training and performance improvement company. As a recognized leader in the industry, she has won the coveted Stevie Award for Lifetime Achievement in Sales Excellence and she was identified by Training Industry, Inc. as one of the “Top 20 Most Influential Training Professionals.” Ms. Richardson is credited with the movement to Consultative Selling and is the author of ten books on selling and sales management, including Sales Coaching — Making the Great Leap from Sales Manager to Sales Coach, and Stop Telling, Start Selling. She teaches sales and management at the Wharton Graduate School of the University of Pennsylvania and the Wharton Executive Development Center. Linda is a frequent speaker at industry and client conferences, has been published extensively in industry and training journals, and has been featured in numerous publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Nation’s Business, Selling Power, Success, and The Conference Board Magazine. Learn more about Richardson's sales training and performance improvement solutions at http://www.richardson.com web - Visit Linda Richardson's Website

John Power
John Power, founder of Biltmore Franchise Consulting, has extensive experience developing and marketing franchises and business opportunities. He has been in and around franchising for over twenty years. From 1980 through 1990 he conceptualized, organized, and developed the American Video Association. He grew AVA to 2,000 national members, before selling the company it 1990. It was later merged into another home video marketing company. From 2000 to 2005 he worked as a contract marketing and human resources consultant to several local and national companies. In 2005 Mr. Power began working as a franchise development consultant on a full-time basis. Since that time he has helped more than three dozen companies initiate and develop their franchising program. He notes that there are many companies interested in developing a franchise program, and who need his specialized assistance. Mr. Power is a “hands-on” franchise consultant. He said, “I am the ‘nuts and bolts’ person who tends to the details for my clients.” Mr. Power holds a B.S. degree with a major in Marketing. See: www.biltmorefranchise.com You may contact Mr. Power at: jpower@biltmorefranchise.co - Visit John Power's Website

David Acheson
David Acheson is the founder of DCJA Consultancy. DCJA Consultancy is a management consultancy business specialising in B2B sales consultancy. They offer bespoke and packaged sales consultancy including Sales Optimisation Review, Interim Sales Management, Sales & Marketing Review, 1:1 Sales & Management Staff Analysis, Management Training, Solution Sales Training, Creation of New Pay Plan, KPI's, run Customer Feedback Campaigns, assist with Recruitment, Coaching, Appraisals and set up Strategic Marketing Campaigns.  David spent his early career in accountancy and then moved into sales in 1982, working in Office Equipment, IT, Advertising, Training, Outsourcing and Consultancy. He has held many Senior Positions in SMBs and Global Organisations including Head of Sales Operations & Head of Business Development. His knowledge, skills and great experience of the Sales Industry has led to David making keynote speeches and running educational sessions to key businesses through organisations including The Chamber of Commerce and Business Link. - Visit David Acheson's Website


To learn more about the Evan Elite Author Program please contact us.

About The Author


Kevin Lawrence
(Visit Kevin's Website) Kevin Lawrence is a Business Coach & Speaker, who works with Accountants & Entrepreneurs to help them create their personal version of an "Ideal Business" and achieve the balance, fulfillment and other results they desire in an "Outrageous Quality of Life". To learn more about how Coach Kevin can help you, or to book him to speak at your event, or to subscribe to Kevin's free email newsletter, visit: www.CoachKevin.com or call 604-313-2229 (1-877-564-6224 toll free in North America), or by email to Inquire@CoachKevin.com

Kevin Lawrence is a Gold author on EvanCarmichael.com
About The Author

View Author Blog
View Author Blog

View Author Video
View Author Video

Free Downloads


Kevin Lawrence's

Complete
List Of
Business-Coach
Articles

Name
Email
Author's Free Downloads
The Leader’s Edge Icon The Leader’s Edge

More Kevin Lawrence
The Leaders Edge How to Transform a Company by Unlocking the Leader
Top 12 Ways You Can OverDeliver Value To Your Clients
The Magic of Action How To Overcome Procrastination
The 10 Essential Things You Must Know About Your Customers
How to Generate Endless Referrals From Your Networking Activities
The Power of Niche Marketing to Build Your Business
How to Turn an Industry on Its Head Become Masters at Delivering On Big Promises
From Compliance to Reliance For Accountants
How To Profit From Customer Complaints
The Most Important and Overlooked Measure of Return on Investment
Free Downloads


 
 
 


Evan Elite Authors
Stephanie Robey  
Staging Diva  
David Barr  
Evan Elite Authors

Become An Author
Have you written articles that would be of value to entrepreneurs? Become an expert on our site by publishing them! Expose yourself to a wide audience, drive more traffic to your website and get more sales! Click Here for details.
Become An Author

Evan's Latest Video
Modeling the Masters: Learn the true secrets behind Walt Disney's business success factors & grow your company! Video produced by Phanta Media
Evan's Latest Video

Business Opportunities
"Learn straight from Evan how you can Make a Full Time Income (And More) from a Website"

How to Start An Online Business

Click Here To Learn More
Business Opportunities



Evan's Newsletter
Get advice & tips from famous business owners, new articles by entrepreneur experts, my latest website updates, & special sneak peaks at what's to come!
Name:
Email:
Evan`s Newsletter

Free Downloads
Profitable Blog Guide Icon Profitable Blog Guide
Powerful Living Icon Powerful Living
Learn From Success Icon Learn From Success
Leadership Training Hospitals Icon Leadership Training Hospitals
Networking To Get Results Icon Networking To Get Results
Free Downloads - Complete List

Entrepreneur Tools and Guides
Top 50 Productivity Blogs To Watch In 2008
Top 50 Productivity Blogs
Top Blogs To Watch In 2008
 
Top 50 Geek Business Blogs
Top 50 Geek Business Blogs
Top 50 Geek Business Blogs
 
Entrepreneur Tools and Guides

SEO For Africa
SEO For Africa
ssata Demb Segou, Mali,
ssata Demb
Segou, Mali
SEO For Africa

If I Were A Startup...
Geoff Whitlock, $53k to $507k in 3 years
Geoff Whitlock
$53k to $507k in 3 years
Dana Zita, > $2.5 Mil in revenues
Dana Zita
> $2.5 Mil in revenues
If I Were A Startup... - Complete List

Famous Entrepreneurs
Madam C.J. Walker, Madam C.J. Walker
Madam C.J. Walker
Madam C.J. Walker
Peter van Stolk, Jones Soda
Peter van Stolk
Jones Soda
Famous Entrepreneurs - Complete List

Entrepreneur Advice
John Jantsch, Duct Tape Marketing
John Jantsch
Duct Tape Marketing
Donald J. Trump, Trump University
Donald J. Trump
Trump University
Entrepreneur Advice - Complete List

Popular Articles
(Premium Authors)

     Getting Along with the Boss
By Terri Levine
     The Myths About Coaching
By Terri Levine
     How to Simplify Your Life
By Terri Levine

Have A Suggestion?
Toronto Salsa Classes / Toronto Salsa Lessons Email us your ideas on how to make our website more valuable! Thank you Sharon from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for your suggestions to make the newsletter look like the website and profile younger entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez and Sean Combs!
Have A Suggestion?

More Evan Carmichael
More Information