Spotting Red Flags with New Clients & Prospects

Web Worker Daily has a great post about “red flags” to look for when talking with a potential new client. The post describes some  seemingly innocuous requests and comments – that can mean trouble down the road. There are also the more obvious ones, such as resisting signing a contract, refusing to pay a deposit, etc..

Also discussed are ways to recognize a problem before you even make contact with the prospect – by noting the tone and wording of a RFP or inquiry email:

If the ad is very detailed and well written, it usually indicates professionalism.  It’s alright for potential clients to have grammar or spelling mistakes, but when the sentences are too vague or hardly make sense, future communication might be such a hassle.  The same could be said for the first exchange of emails.

Watch out for ads with a defensive tone, such as “Don’t send an outrageous quote, as I can get my neighbor’s son to do this” or “This shouldn’t cost/take more than…”  This just goes to show the small value they’ll be placing on you and your work.

Check out the full post at Web Worker Daily. What “red flags” do you look for?

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