This is a fun one.
Every contractor will tell you about the nightmare client, and likely most clients have their contractor stories too- I’ve heard some deusy’s.
I’ve had a few over the years, and over time you see patterns and learn how to navigate the waters better-
The best indicator of a good client is economy of motion- they can decide, accept the offer, pay and don’t complicate the process.
We met a lady last year we new would love our work, but seemed to have a real struggle to make decisions. They are nice people, have the means and the job itself is in our wheelhouse -
I gave preliminary prices, observed the behavior then decided to accept the job on my terms-the customer has some type of cognitive issue processing information, and also has Pinterest giving her endless ideas.
My terms -
- my price and payment schedule (and yes it was way higher, because it will likely be a disjointed project)
- no deadline
- all true changes pay accordingly (We never charge for slight adjustments or fine tuning,etc)
So how is it going ? I’m having a ball - she has changed the entire design she paid a designer for, changed the electrical 4 times and is about to change it again, and is considering one change after another-
I anticipated this, framed the new layout fast to create a canvas she could say, got my end of framing check I had scheduled and went and made money elsewhere while she decides what she wants-
Right now I have no idea how long it will take, but I keep a daily log of all delays and indecision so if anyone gets excited we can show them where the delays have came from.
I stepped into a few nasty situations over the years, and they taught me(painfully) to always avoid the ones that are going to suck the life out of you, and how to protect yourself from the ones you do take that have that potential.
All that said, all profit is speculation- even on this. No guarantees.
Every contractor will tell you about the nightmare client, and likely most clients have their contractor stories too- I’ve heard some deusy’s.
I’ve had a few over the years, and over time you see patterns and learn how to navigate the waters better-
The best indicator of a good client is economy of motion- they can decide, accept the offer, pay and don’t complicate the process.
We met a lady last year we new would love our work, but seemed to have a real struggle to make decisions. They are nice people, have the means and the job itself is in our wheelhouse -
I gave preliminary prices, observed the behavior then decided to accept the job on my terms-the customer has some type of cognitive issue processing information, and also has Pinterest giving her endless ideas.
My terms -
- my price and payment schedule (and yes it was way higher, because it will likely be a disjointed project)
- no deadline
- all true changes pay accordingly (We never charge for slight adjustments or fine tuning,etc)
So how is it going ? I’m having a ball - she has changed the entire design she paid a designer for, changed the electrical 4 times and is about to change it again, and is considering one change after another-
I anticipated this, framed the new layout fast to create a canvas she could say, got my end of framing check I had scheduled and went and made money elsewhere while she decides what she wants-
Right now I have no idea how long it will take, but I keep a daily log of all delays and indecision so if anyone gets excited we can show them where the delays have came from.
I stepped into a few nasty situations over the years, and they taught me(painfully) to always avoid the ones that are going to suck the life out of you, and how to protect yourself from the ones you do take that have that potential.
All that said, all profit is speculation- even on this. No guarantees.
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