Clients can also be fired!

It's 6 a.m. and it's raining hard. As I get ready for work, I think to myself, it's too wet to walk to work today, let me call Mo.

Mo is my Bajaj driver and I have been using his services for more than a year. Any time I call him, he would always show up or send someone to pick me up.

While I like Mo because he's reliable, we have our days when we argue because he increased his price by TSh 1,000... I guess it's called being a client!

So back to the story...

He picks up my call and tells me he's running late because he's dropping off another client. Because it's raining and I can't do anything else but wait, I make a cup of tea, but before I could drink it, he calls to say he's outside.?

I get outside and he hurries me to jump into the bajaj and leave. So I ask, “Everything okay?”

“When it rains, everyone calls you,” frustrated Mo responds.

Puzzled by his response, I wanted to hear more.?

"There is a client who's been calling me non-stop because she wants to be picked up immediately. I told her to wait but she keeps insisting, even using the F word,” he adds.?

And before he could finish the sentence, the client called again. On the other end of the line, you can hear the client blaming Mo for making her late.?

"I respect your time, but this client called me first. The place where I'm dropping her off is not too far, I'll be able to pick you up in a few minutes. If you feel that I'll make you late, please find another driver," angrily Mo hangs up his phone.

"Why are you risking losing a client?", I ask.

“This client is a nightmare. She's so disrespectful. I pick her up because I need the money, but I would rather find another regular instead of her," Mo replies.

Mo drops me off and goes about with his business.?

What's the moral of the story?

Service businesses such as advertising and marketing agencies deal with different clients. Yes, clients are kings and queens, but some clients are ‘Clientzillas’.

(Clientzilla - Clients that are intolerably demanding and difficult to deal with)

Clientzillas question everything you do for them, argue even when there's no basis for argument, refuse to give you the information you need, refuse to pay or don't pay on time, undermine your work, abuse and bully, or just do insane things.

Because we want to please these clients so we can retain them, we keep working on their demands to a point that it hurts our mental health.

Most of us especially start-ups or consultants, are terrified at the thought of firing a client, because you need the project and you need to build a reputation.?

But ask yourself, if the client is giving you grief and sleepless nights, is there a point in keeping them?

Making that decision can be difficult, but sometimes it's necessary for professional growth and peace of mind.?

So moral of the story is, if a client turns your life into a living hell, you can politely say 'You are Fired'!?