40 min
How To Politely Turn Away Clients Resourceful Designer: Strategies for running a graphic design business
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- Design
How to politely turn away clients Are you afraid to be stuck with a client from hell? If so, knowing how to turn away clients politely is a skill you better learn.
In the last episode of the Resourceful Designer podcast, I shared 12 red flags for spotting bad design clients. You should be familiar with them before continuing to read. Unfortunately, spotting a bad client is only half the battle. The next hurdle is turning them away. I go into much more detail in the podcast. For the full story be sure to listen.
But what if you're wrong about a client? They may have raised one or more red flags, but that doesn't mean they wouldn't have turned out to be a great client after all. Just in case you have the opportunity to work with them again someday, you need to turn away clients in a way that doesn’t burn any bridges.
Script templates you can use to turn away clients. Feel free to copy, use and reword these script templates whenever you need to turn away clients. Just be sure that your final draft is as polite as possible and that you don't insult the client. After all, you never know what the future holds.
Clients you want to avoid. In most cases, this first script will be all you need. From the red flags I shared in the last episode, this one covers clients with a bad reputation, clients with inconsistent communications, clients who complain about previous designers, those who flirt with you and clients who for whatever reason, give you a bad feeling.
All of these fall under clients you want to avoid. The best way to avoid going any further with them is to send them a message like this.
Dear (client’s name)
Thank you for considering me (or your business name) for your (insert kind of design project here). It sounds like an exciting project. Regrettably, due to my current workload, I am not taking on any new projects at the moment.
Thanks again for considering me (or your business name). I wish you success with your (insert project name).
Regards,
(insert your name)
That’s it. That’s all you need to say. Politely tell the client you are unable to take on new projects at this time and you wish them the best. No other excuses or explanations are required.
If the client asks when you will be available for new projects, tell them your work calendar is full for the foreseeable future.
Client rudely challenges your fee. Challenging your fee is expected. It's called negotiation. However, when a client starts to get rude or obnoxious about it, you need to remove yourself from the situation with a message like this one.
Dear (client’s name)
Thank you for considering me (or your business name) for your (insert kind of design project here).
I know my (fee/rate/price) is not for everyone. I’ve spent many years developing my craft as a designer, and I’ve positioned my fees to reflect the level of service I provide to my clients.
I understand you are looking for something in a lower price range. Perhaps you can contact (insert list of designers who may take on the project). I believe (he, she or they) may be able to help you where I cannot.
I wish you success with your (insert project name)
Regards,
(insert your name)
If you don’t want to provide a name or list of designers, you could switch paragraph three to this.
I understand you are looking for something in a lower price range. I believe you would be better served by a designer whose services are not as involved as mine are.
This paragraph reaffirms that your prices are higher for a reason. Should the client not be satisfied with another designer they may return and accept your higher rates.
A client wants you on call 24/7 or to micromanage you. This client still has potential. If you don’t want to work with them, you can use the first script above. However, if you wish to try and save this client but curb their overbearing ways, you may want to try something like this.
Dear (client’s name)
Thank you for considering me (or you
How to politely turn away clients Are you afraid to be stuck with a client from hell? If so, knowing how to turn away clients politely is a skill you better learn.
In the last episode of the Resourceful Designer podcast, I shared 12 red flags for spotting bad design clients. You should be familiar with them before continuing to read. Unfortunately, spotting a bad client is only half the battle. The next hurdle is turning them away. I go into much more detail in the podcast. For the full story be sure to listen.
But what if you're wrong about a client? They may have raised one or more red flags, but that doesn't mean they wouldn't have turned out to be a great client after all. Just in case you have the opportunity to work with them again someday, you need to turn away clients in a way that doesn’t burn any bridges.
Script templates you can use to turn away clients. Feel free to copy, use and reword these script templates whenever you need to turn away clients. Just be sure that your final draft is as polite as possible and that you don't insult the client. After all, you never know what the future holds.
Clients you want to avoid. In most cases, this first script will be all you need. From the red flags I shared in the last episode, this one covers clients with a bad reputation, clients with inconsistent communications, clients who complain about previous designers, those who flirt with you and clients who for whatever reason, give you a bad feeling.
All of these fall under clients you want to avoid. The best way to avoid going any further with them is to send them a message like this.
Dear (client’s name)
Thank you for considering me (or your business name) for your (insert kind of design project here). It sounds like an exciting project. Regrettably, due to my current workload, I am not taking on any new projects at the moment.
Thanks again for considering me (or your business name). I wish you success with your (insert project name).
Regards,
(insert your name)
That’s it. That’s all you need to say. Politely tell the client you are unable to take on new projects at this time and you wish them the best. No other excuses or explanations are required.
If the client asks when you will be available for new projects, tell them your work calendar is full for the foreseeable future.
Client rudely challenges your fee. Challenging your fee is expected. It's called negotiation. However, when a client starts to get rude or obnoxious about it, you need to remove yourself from the situation with a message like this one.
Dear (client’s name)
Thank you for considering me (or your business name) for your (insert kind of design project here).
I know my (fee/rate/price) is not for everyone. I’ve spent many years developing my craft as a designer, and I’ve positioned my fees to reflect the level of service I provide to my clients.
I understand you are looking for something in a lower price range. Perhaps you can contact (insert list of designers who may take on the project). I believe (he, she or they) may be able to help you where I cannot.
I wish you success with your (insert project name)
Regards,
(insert your name)
If you don’t want to provide a name or list of designers, you could switch paragraph three to this.
I understand you are looking for something in a lower price range. I believe you would be better served by a designer whose services are not as involved as mine are.
This paragraph reaffirms that your prices are higher for a reason. Should the client not be satisfied with another designer they may return and accept your higher rates.
A client wants you on call 24/7 or to micromanage you. This client still has potential. If you don’t want to work with them, you can use the first script above. However, if you wish to try and save this client but curb their overbearing ways, you may want to try something like this.
Dear (client’s name)
Thank you for considering me (or you
40 min