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15 Signs Your Clients Could Be Cheating on You

By Roberta Rosenberg on Dec 5, 2009 in Working with Clients

Are you feeling a little less loved lately?
Our business relationships, like our personal relationships, come in many styles and flavors. There are the clients with whom we enjoy a long-term commitment and those who, like a one-night-stand, are fun for the short-term. I’m thinking about the long-term variety today.
How can we tell when a client is beginning to stray? How do you know that your relationship is starting to die a slow death? Let’s take a look at the kinds of things clients do when they want to extinguish the flame that sizzles their love for us.
1. Client no longer makes time to spend with you, or worse ignores you, on a regular basis.
2. Client only contacts you for last-minute, fill-in work.
3. Client tells you your work lacks style, seems very same-old, same-old.
4. Client is easily annoyed by things that never bothered them in the past.
5. Client doesn’t tell you how great you/your work is anymore.
6. Client has started being dissatisfied with things you do for them.
7. Client has started to complain about the economy, sales, and your fees.
8. Client has told you that budget constraints are making big plans smaller and not to count on more right now.
9. Client asks how business is and begins to encourage you to perhaps seek other clients.
10. Client has started comparing you to other vendors in unflattering terms.
11. Client mentions other vendors/consultants in their social media postings.
12. Client ignores your request for a LinkedIn connection or recommendation.
13. Client won’t friend you on Facebook or follow you on Twitter.
14. Client changes your password to their Google Analytics account.
15. ADD YOUR SIGN HERE.
How about you? How can you tell when a client isn’t feeling the love anymore and begins to look elsewhere
Mad Men: Uh oh.Creative Commons License photo credit: ericalm

Are you feeling a little less loved lately?

Our business relationships, like our personal relationships, come in many styles and flavors. There are the clients we ‘marry’ and with whom we enjoy a long-term, mutually satisfying commitment, and those who are fun and profitable for the short-term.

Both are good, but I’m thinking about the long-term variety today.

How can we tell when our boyfriend client is beginning to stray? How do you know for sure that your relationship may be starting to die a slow death?

Let’s take a look at the kinds of things lovers clients do when they want to cool the flame that used to light our fire. It may be over when your client:

  1. No longer discusses long-term plans and goals with you over leisurely lunches and phone chats.
  2. Only contacts you for last-minute, fill-in work.
  3. Tells you your work lacks style, seems very same-old, same-old.
  4. Is easily annoyed by things that never bothered them in the past.
  5. Doesn’t tell you how great you/your work is anymore.
  6. Nitpics your monthly invoices.
  7. Has started being dissatisfied with all things you do for them.
  8. Has started to complain about the economy, sales, and your fees.
  9. Has told you that budget constraints are making big plans smaller and not to count on more right now.
  10. Asks how business is and begins to encourage you to perhaps seek other clients.
  11. Has started comparing you to other vendors in unflattering terms.
  12. Mentions other vendors/consultants in their social media postings.
  13. Ignores your request for a LinkedIn connection or recommendation.
  14. Won’t friend you on Facebook or follow you on Twitter.
  15. Changes your password to their Google Analytics account.
  16. ADD YOUR SIGN HERE.

How about you? How can you tell when a client isn’t feeling the love anymore and may be sniffing around your competition — and what do you do about it, if anything at all?

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  1. TC/The Copywriter Underground | Dec 7, 2009 | Reply

    16. You find another freelancer’s underwear in the glove compartment of the client’s car (hey, it could happen).

  2. Roberta Rosenberg | Dec 7, 2009 | Reply

    Yes, it could happen in some parallel creative’s version of hell. :)

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