This isn’t a failure. Some clients need to be fired. It’s good for the business and tells your staff there’s only so much shit they have to take.
At Velocity, when it’s not a good match, we bring it to a close, politely and respectfully. Feel proud.

I agree with Doug. As difficult as it is for most of us to accept (me included), you can often boil these sorts of relationships down to ROI. I’m getting paid X and SHOULD only be doing Y, but because they’re needly, unskilled, a pain in the butt, etc, they’re also taking Z from me. Y + Z > X, so I’m ultimately losing money. And, even when you’re not losing money, you may just be hating working for that client, which can have a negative effect on other client work, family life, etc. Good on you for taking this step, Mark.

Again, Mark, you nail it. We’ve recently had a “Come to Jesus” meeting with a few of our clients and agreed to disagree and both parties have moved on. Gone is the stress, turmoil, mental anguish and basically, headaches of dealing with a client who expected Rome when THEY weren’t prepared to build it in several ways…with all of the examples Eric gave.

The beauty of business today is that there are LOTS of choices on both sides; we take advantage of this constantly.

Well done, Mark.

I’d challenge your “flawless track record” statement. Just because you’ve only proactively kicked one client out of the nest, most firms that I have worked with would agree that there have been other clients that they should’ve fired along the way–but they were too hungry or lacked the professional self respect/confidence to make the move.

I am in the same club as you Mark. It’s taken me 28 years too. I said “No” for the first time a few months ago. I mean this was a “No” that I knew meant we were basically firing them. It’s a long story – Not the 28 years part, the client firing part. So I won’t go into it now, but like you, I knew it was the right thing to do.

When you have passion for your profession, there are emotional ties to both good and bad accounts and most of the time it’s the challenge of doing great work as much as it is the personal relationships with the clients. At least it’s that way for me.

But the emotion I felt after firing the client was relief! And it still feels good. I’m sure you agree and now we’re both free for doing great work for clients that need it and have a little extra capacity for that next big challenge!

Mark, I’ve fired two clients in my consulting life, both for ethical issues that I couldn’t see past.

I believe that the evolution of our economy, with more people acting as solopreneurs as opposed to the well-turned ‘indentured servant’ role mentioned above, we’ll see much more of this. A new phrase I heard at the recent Sustainable Brands Conference down here in Monterey was “social sustainability,” describing the development of corporate cultures that promote positive working conditions. Amazed that it has a name, really, but it’s a sign of the times. We may have reached a tipping point of incivility in the corporate world (or not).

Regards!

I just want to commend you for even sharing this experience and inviting commentary on what was obviously a difficult situation for you. Congratulations for having the gumption to speak publicly and permit others to learn from your leadership.

Although we are our own bosses, it’s always a challenge to fire a client due to the bread-and-butter syndrome.

Good for you to know you’re a survivor and can pick those with whom you wish to work.

Mark,

Just catching up on my {grow} reading & wanted to extend a virtual pat on the back. Some clients deserve to be fired & I’m 100% sure that you made the right decision.

I recently spent a LOT of time on a pitch to a prospective client. They dragged me through hell and back, picked my brain ’til I didn’t know my name, and have now been sitting on the 3rd version of the 10-page proposal for over 60 days. I have already decided that – should they call back with a green light (something that is still a distinct possibility based on all reality check indicators) – I’ll be telling them that I’m otherwise occupied … whether I truly am or not.

It’s more about the negative energy than the negative income, but either way it’s a big “No Thank You!” from me.

That is not what I would call a flawless track record. I learned a long time ago that growing my business involved firing customers every few years. As my skills developed I could no longer justify the time it took to work with smaller companies. I developed coaching programs, books, audios and things for them and concentrated my personal efforts on the larger ones that could afford me and implement the things I created for them.

No matter what field you’re in, this is a natural evolution of the business. You start off consulting to your brother-in-law at his Taco place. You graduate to the high end steakhouse and one day you’re working with an international chain.

As your skills and experience grow, some customers will no longer be able to afford you or be at a consciousness to implement what you’re teaching. At least that’s my take…

-RG

These seems like an example of holding your boundaries. Good show.

Just bought “The Dip” and am about to read it. I’ve got a feeling that this post would be a nice intro.

Most people wouldn’t have the guts to cut ties with a customer that is cutting into their profit margin.

Though details were missing from the post – a professional thing to do – based on your description of how you felt it sounds like you made the right decision Mark. I’ve fired clients for being seriously disrespectful to myself and members of my team. And if there isn’t win on both sides it’s a failed relationship. Don’t think too much on it. Keep moving forward.

You are so right Mark, something similar happened to me last year and your post is helping me revisit my regrets and recrimination.  Growth from this sort of situation is essential. Thanks for putting this back on my radar so I can look at why I assume that the mistakes in the relationship were mine. J