When a client relationship fails
A failed client relationship calls for deciding whether the problem can be resolved, protecting professional commitments and ending the relationship with care when it cannot.
Grounds for ending a relationship
Even skilled freelances can have unsuccessful client relationships, including when someone uninvolved in designing a project joins later and dislikes the work requested; such experiences should not be taken personally. Freelances should value themselves and need not accept abuse, while taking responsibility for putting matters right when they are at fault.
An experienced freelance recommends discontinuing relationships with clients who are:
- Rude, crude, vulgar or mean-spirited.
- Disingenuous or dishonest.
- Unreasonably demanding or controlling, while allowing accommodation for people under extreme stress.
- Unethical.
- Unresponsive about paying invoices on time.
- Poor, disorganized or inexperienced project managers who will not acknowledge their shortcomings, unless the writer agrees at the outset to take on project management as an additional service.
The same advice distinguishes a long-term contract involving accounts payable from a contact who simply disowns responsibility for payment: when the contact shows indifference, the writer is advised to collect the payment and decline later work without announcing the decision. The experienced freelance considers that ten good clients await for every unfortunate one.
Experienced freelances advise reviewing the client list quarterly, ending relationships that no longer offer fair treatment, good and timely payment or enjoyable work, and taking intuition seriously when a client or project feels wrong. One freelance’s test is that saying aloud that a client must be fired may mean the decision has already been made and only validation is being sought.
A writer who refused to omit key information nevertheless accepted another proposed project out of a sense of obligation, then went partly unpaid for refusing to portray an always-deadly disease as easily managed; a colleague had encountered the same problem on that project. The writer subsequently ended unresolved relationships, including one representing about 40% of the business, and reported feeling good about doing so.
Suspected unethical conduct
Before passing judgement, a freelance should discuss observations with the client and establish whether the conduct is deliberate or reflects ignorance of the rules. Identifying possible errors, explaining requirements and discussing remedies are part of a consultant’s role, and a client may correct a mistake once it is explained. If the ethics are uncertain, advice can be sought from experienced peers or a professional freelance discussion group.
Practitioners differ on the point at which departure becomes necessary: one recommends leaving as soon as a personal ethical code is irrevocably violated, while recognizing that the circumstances are rarely simple; others advise explaining the problem first and ending the relationship if the informed client persists. Continuing with a knowingly unethical client can damage reputation, cause aggravation and possibly lead to legal problems.
For a client who refuses to change, one practitioner presents several personal choices rather than a single procedure:
- Explain that the behaviour is the reason for refusing further work with the company.
- Report the person to a higher authority.
- Complete the project with clear notes identifying the problems and leave the decision with the client.
- Leave quietly with an unexplained excuse or another stated commitment.
A firmer approach is to document the explanation and attempts at resolution, retain copies and end the relationship after fulfilling any legal commitment to finish the job. In one case, a physician wanted a cancer newsletter to cover only the benefits of clinical-trial participation; the writer explained the omission of risks was unethical, cited informed-consent requirements, documented the physician’s continued insistence, submitted both risks and benefits with an explanatory comment and then ended the relationship.
Consulting a lawyer may be prudent in some cases, and contractual obligations can make walking away difficult or require willingness to forfeit payment. A notebook can record findings and concerns, and non-threatening questions can be raised by email, but any message may enter a chain of evidence and should be written with possible future testimony in mind, especially where proof is lacking.
Consequences of standing firm
One freelance was removed from a manuscript project after repeatedly asking that a questionable study design be reflected in its limitations and conclusions; about two years later, a participant who respected that stance offered work at a new company. Another account describes dismissal after questions about a study supporting an over-the-counter cholesterol-lowering drug: participants recruited in shopping malls had their doctor visits and tests paid for, leaving the writer doubtful that uncompensated customers would follow similar instructions on a package. The questions went unanswered, but someone involved later offered work elsewhere because they admired the writer’s integrity.
In a further case, a writer’s objective summary revealed an alarming number of deaths considered likely related to a drug, and an associate medical director asked for the writer’s removal in favour of an advertising agency. The client continued employing the writer in other therapeutic areas; six months later the director requested the writer’s return after serious agency errors, and the drug ultimately did not gain FDA approval because of the risk of death.
A professional departure
A relationship can prove unsuitable despite an attempt to identify the ideal client; one approach is to complete the current project, decline future work as unavailable and, where appropriate, suggest a writer who may be a better fit. Preserving professional relationships matters in a small field where contacts move between companies.
Practitioners disagree about how direct the departure should be: some prefer to say they are busy, while another favours an honest conversation because a reputation for unavailability may spread to other companies and unanswered calls or emails can look unprofessional. A frank explanation may help the client understand freelance needs, benefit later providers or even resolve the problem enough for work to continue. The choice can depend on whether the client is likely to appreciate candour.
A long-standing relationship should also be reassessed after a merger, new management or a change in approach, so the freelance understands the consequences before deciding whether to remain. Departing early or at contract renewal can be preferable; commitments should be kept as far as possible while recognizing that the freelance may put their own needs first.
A vanished contact and unpaid work
In a hypothetical case presented to a conference audience, a client was three months late paying $5,000 and the primary contact no longer answered messages. The audience’s selected responses were:
- Write off the money: 15%.
- Keep calling: 3%.
- Contact the client’s boss or another department: 82%.
- Hire a lawyer: 0%.
The freelance panellist considered escalation usually effective because writers often work with editors who do not control finances; most attendees considered a lawyer expensive and likely to end the business relationship in this case.