This week we’re talking about how to attract better clients. We are very experienced doing quite the opposite, but we’ve also had quite good ones, so hopefully those experiences will help you listeners attract the best quality of clients… So without further ado, let’s get into the show!

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Show Notes for This Episode:

[1:00] It’s official, listeners love the silly moments.
[2:00] Ian shares what he loves about The Honest Designers.
[4:30] Lisa clues us into one common client red flag.
[5:00] Avoiding the “What’s your project budget?”
[6:40] Ian’s early career was focused on work and not the client quality.
[7:00] A child on the way and a mortgage blinded Ian.
[8:20] Ian talks web client nightmares.
[9:00] Outsourcing coding and Amazon Cloud Services.
[10:00] Ian has to cut this client off NOW!
[11:20] Lisa questions Ian on how he ended up in the red with this client.
[12:50] The downfall of being a Jack-of-all-trades.
[13:00] The snowball effect from taking on work that’s over your head.
[14:00] Saying “yes” to work you should be saying “no” to.
[15:30] Tom gets real about red flags.
[16:00] Why you need to trust your gut.
[17:00] Early negative signs normally grow over time. Don’t ignore them.
[18:30] We’ve all taken work out of desperation and regretted it.
[19:00] Who has sunshine and rainbows 24/7/365?
[20:00] Tom gives us an inside scoop on one of his client nightmares.
[21:00] Know when to walk away from the work that doesn’t light you up.
[22:00] Pixel pushing clients?
[23:30] Look for the opposite of your negative clients.
[24:00] Finding hidden gem clients.
[25:00] Traits of an ideal client.
[26:00] Be wary of clients who are clueless about their own company.
[27:30] Ask a lot of questions early before you ever take on the work.
[28:20] Matching with a great client is a lot like dating.
[29:00] If you feel uneasy about anything, ask more questions.
[30:00] Honesty is contagious.
[31:00] Type tasting – what font are you?
[32:15] Actually liking your client carries a lot of weight.
[33:00] Hard nos on jerks.
[34:00] Money pushes us to places we should never go.
[35:00] University doesn’t really prepare you for gaining work.
[36:00] The University of Hard Knocks.
[37:00] What are you willing to tolerate?
[38:00] Ian’s easygoing personality and honesty.
[39:00] Lisa rejects a job that goes against her morals.
[40:00] It’s important to apply who you are to client selection.
[41:00] Naive and business savvy clients.
[42:00] Willing to be collaborative is a great sign of a client.
[43:30] Canned questions to ask clients to foresee nightmares.
[44:00] A classic crash and burn design nightmare.
[45:30] Crystal clear working guidelines = easy work relationship
[46:00] Guidelines get better and better over time.
[47:00] Lisa and Tom talk streamlining guidelines.
[48:20] Pay attention to your processes.
[49:00] And that’s a wrap!

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“A must for every creative freelancer (or those aspiring to freelance). Thank you for being so… honest! Such a wealth of information from people I admire who have ‘been there and done that’. Listening to the podcast every week feels like I’m among friends. Can’t wait for more episodes!”AG_GD