The following are explored in greater detail in Chapter 5 of The Business of Creativity.
1. They don’t offer you a glass of water.
It reveals that a client is only thinking about themselves.
2. They don’t ask you anything about yourself.
Since you are about to embark on a long-term professional relationship, your clients must display some measure of interest in you or your business. This is vital for a smooth and effective communication for a potential design project.
3. They don’t tell you anything about themselves.
You will have a very difficult design process if your clients do not open themselves up to reveal their personalities or lifestyles. If you do not have a sense of a clients’ preferences or design opinions, it will be almost impossible to satisfy them as a designer.
4. They tell you that they make quick decisions.
This might be a huge red flag as people who say they make quick decisions are generally the ones who have been told they are difficult in decision-making. You might want to avoid people who say this upfront because it comes across as defensive.
5. They tell you that they are easy to work with.
This closely relates with #4 above as clients who say this from the get-go are often hiding the fact that they been called difficult. When dealing with someone who says they are easy to work with, always turn to your natural gut instinct of whether a person is being honest or simply trying to hide a temperamental personality.
6. They promise you future work if you discount your current fees.
Protect your value and consider reversing this idea by offering to first finish a project and reducing the price on a second project if it goes well. It is important to earn money on your design work and not just new clients. If a client is always asking about discounted fees, it is a huge warning sign that this client does not want to pay you what you are worth.
7. You are their third designer.
This a common sense warning sign that if a client has burned through designers, you might be the latest in a long list of people who will not tolerate a toxic client. There are always exceptions but pay close attention to the professional design history of a possible new client.
8. You don’t get to meet them.
In commercial projects, sometimes you may only interact with a client’s “handlers.” However, designing a residential project for a client you never meet makes for an almost impossible design situation.
9. Only half of them show up to meetings.
Make sure you are on the same page with all of the client stakeholders in a project, especially if you are working with a couple. You do not want to experience costly redesigns because you only followed one person’s preferences. Make sure everyone is present in all major decision-making in a project.
10. They have chronic amnesia.
Avoid clients who cannot remember if they are approved ideas, designs, and especially payment amounts. Not only do you avoid someone potentially dishonest but you also save your sanity.