I’ve read an interesting in the internet today. And of course, any architect will benefit from it. Even if you are employed or have you own our office or practicing freelance, we get to meet different kinds of clients. So it’s always better to know our clients in the early stage of projects. ‘Time is money’; so time wasted is money lost. Not only that, our skills and talent is precious. And we, as professionals, are worth more than what other clients think of us.
In my experience, there are clients who are just ‘window shopping’ – asking for sketch and scheme ONLY and not paying; clients who are good at first but will quit in the middle of the game which means no money; clients who don’t recognize how you protect their interests from contractors and suppliers. But of course, there are clients who are as professional when you talk about business and projects.
‘How Do You Know You’re Working with a Bad Client?’ is a good read. So here are the signs to identify a bad client.
1. Your client asks for several face-to-face meetings or lengthy conference calls before the project begins.
2. Your client brings in a “silent partner” that turns out to be not so silent.
3. Your client doesn’t value your time.
4. Project details and scope change regularly once the contract is signed.
5. Your client uses buzzwords they don’t understand.
Filed under: Architects' How-tos | Tagged: clients, professional practice, tips for architects
Interesting article. I did read the link to see the details of what you outlined and I noticed that this particular article refers to one of the original author’s client.
While his experience may be adapted and serve as a guideline, it is by no means, entirely accurate in the sense that it is not the solution to the problem of a bad client – or early detection of a bad client.
Personally, there are only two kinds of bad clients.
1. Those that do not pay.
2. Those that imposes unreasonable or unrealistic demands.
To avoid, professionals should also seek referrals from the clients to ensure that they are able or capable of paying.
During “face-to-face” meetings, time management should be one of the topics discussed upfront.
Additionally, the duties and responsibilities of a professional such as an architect is discussed so a client will have a better understanding of the services to be availed.