How do you guys handle demanding clients?

[Deleted member 2215878]

Want to hear BHW's feedback on how you guys tend to deal with clients that keep demanding new revisions/services and being unreasonable and think you must do as they say? How you set boundaries especially after they have paid you money?

Especially since refunds hurt payment processors accounts

 

[Panther28]

Just give them the same type of service you expect when you part with a lot of money and time. " I will have an X widget ready for you monday, you can use in beta version first, i'll be working hard and focused on it till then" Monday comes "Here client, here is your X widget as promised. I was able to get it working as agreed."

 

[Aniga SEO]

Dealing with demanding clients is tough one tactic is to set clear expectations from the start what you will deliver and when document all requests and changes if things go off track revisit the original agreement and try to communicate calmly keeping boundaries helps manage stress.

 

[SilverClouds]

Take upfront payments, use bank transfers (non-refundable), have a no refunds policy, deliver what they paid for and not more (you aren't a scammer after all, they paid so do the work). If they demand more work communicate that it's extra payment. If they don't pay and still demand bonus free work block them after you finish what they paid for.

 

[JB2302]

Try to over deliver and leave no room for complain.

Mark down deliverables clearly keep records.

 

[SirTop]

Take upfront payments, use bank transfers (non-refundable), have a no refunds policy, deliver what they paid for and not more (you aren't a scammer after all, they paid so do the work). If they demand more work communicate that it's extra payment. If they don't pay and still demand bonus free work block them after you finish what they paid for.

SC = No BS Zone

To OP…
From my recent experience with one of my clients just a few weeks ago... there are situations where clients simply want more. Sometimes you can do your job well but you can’t really promise results in certain cases.

For example, one of the tasks involved reaching out to journalists to see if they’d be willing to cover a story about what we were working on. The thing is... it’s not that I wasn’t doing the work. I was finding journalists, reaching out, and sharing a compiled document explaining the project. But most journalists will do their own investigations first and that’s if they even have time at that moment to review what you send

So even though I was doing the work, there weren’t any visible results and my client really wanted fast progress on the project

In the end, we had to pause the work because he wasn’t getting the results he expected, not because I wasn’t putting in effort, but because the outcome simply wasn’t within my control. It was demanding and I even worked overtime trying to get something positive to report back

In a nutshell, we reassessed the situation and decided to pause the work but we’re still on good terms and will likely work again in the future.

I guess the lesson from this story is that it’s better to clarify expectations early... understand what the client really wants versus what you can realistically deliver. And if you need to stop the work, you can always do it professionally and still maintain a good relationship : )

 

[Deleted member 2215878]

SC = No BS Zone

To OP…
From my recent experience with one of my clients just a few weeks ago... there are situations where clients simply want more. Sometimes you can do your job well but you can’t really promise results in certain cases.

For example, one of the tasks involved reaching out to journalists to see if they’d be willing to cover a story about what we were working on. The thing is... it’s not that I wasn’t doing the work. I was finding journalists, reaching out, and sharing a compiled document explaining the project. But most journalists will do their own investigations first and that’s if they even have time at that moment to review what you send

So even though I was doing the work, there weren’t any visible results and my client really wanted fast progress on the project

In the end, we had to pause the work because he wasn’t getting the results he expected, not because I wasn’t putting in effort, but because the outcome simply wasn’t within my control. It was demanding and I even worked overtime trying to get something positive to report back

In a nutshell, we reassessed the situation and decided to pause the work but we’re still on good terms and will likely work again in the future.

I guess the lesson from this story is that it’s better to clarify expectations early... understand what the client really wants versus what you can realistically deliver. And if you need to stop the work, you can always do it professionally and still maintain a good relationship : )

Thanks for your reply this really is the bottom line setting clear expectations from the start is the key, I think I made a mistake of not doing that and that leads to clients just giving themselves a free pass to demand more and more while not paying as much. It's great you managed to dodge a bullet right there and kept things under control, a situation like the one you just described if you hadn't set that boundary from the start would escalate to arguments back and forth followed by accusations of "you should have done x I'm paying you" and "I did x as promised" which is never pretty.

 

[underground-rap]

You need good communication + understanding of your client. You can simply upsell the product / service.

Sometimes I already know they won't buy the upgrade. But they will also complain less knowing more service means more budget is required.

 

[Deleted member 2215878]

Sometimes I already know they won't buy the upgrade. But they will also complain less knowing more service means more budget is required.

Some clients are just cheapos, some of them want to pay very little but demand alot simply because they paid money, they think they can do whatever they want, I guess setting boundaries is the lesson learned. Setting the services up in a clear way to set the expectations right.

 

[TheMarquis]

Establish a deal's terms of use from the beginning and, before or after they pay you, if they ask for more, calculate if it's worth or not (keep in mind htat the customer loyalty is part of word-of-mouth marketing, so be generous but not naive) and accept, ask for more money or deny their request(s). Avoid cheap clients as much as you can and don't forget: It's in the human nature to ask for more. If that particular client is cheap, he/she will ask for everything in exchange of peanuts.

 

[Flux Agency]

The key is to set boundaries early, not after the problems start. Clear contracts or service agreements should specify how many revisions are included, what counts as “extra work,” and how additional requests will be billed.


Once payment is made, the mindset should shift from “they paid me so they own me” → to “they paid for a clearly defined service.”


When clients start pushing unreasonable demands, stay calm but firm:

I’d love to help with that, but it’s outside the agreed scope. I can quote you for the extra work if you’d like

This tone keeps it professional, not confrontational.

 

[sdworlld]

Take upfront payments, use bank transfers (non-refundable), have a no refunds policy, deliver what they paid for and not more (you aren't a scammer after all, they paid so do the work). If they demand more work communicate that it's extra payment. If they don't pay and still demand bonus free work block them after you finish what they paid for.

and luckily if you are in India and doing same exactly what you told then in 1 cybercrime even false complaint will cause to block your bank account. and because of peak on corruption and all your bank account will get in trouble when it comes for unfreezing and will get too hard to co-operate with cybercrime department why because they don't even know to use bank transfer or operate mobile.

Honestly I am from India and stay away from client who is from India.

 

[XyatuX]

You need to set the clear expectation and let them know upfront what they can expect then the disatisfaction drop a lot. Make some rules from the beginning .... you can spot the demanding customers easy as well upfront

 

[lightningen]

I think you should set clear boundaries upfront and define what’s included in your service, and put revision limits in your contract. If a client keeps pushing, politely remind them of the agreement and offer extra work at an additional cost. This way you protect your time and avoid endless free revisions.

 

[underground-rap]

Some clients are just cheapos, some of them want to pay very little but demand alot simply because they paid money, they think they can do whatever they want, I guess setting boundaries is the lesson learned. Setting the services up in a clear way to set the expectations right.

Yeah facts. I am facing this issue right now with one of my newest clients. Haven't answered the client yet, surely will hit the sweet spot where the client still feels understood and warmly welcome. Yet on the other hand, if you want the cheapest rate of a service, you can not expect infinite possibilities. You should rather expect to get the fast solution.

Because Why should I waste my time and energy to help a stranger who is greedy more than I need to?
Kindness matters, but respect is more important. Respect my time, respect my service, else don't work with me.

So it's an interesting topic. I believe that knowing your own worth is really important.
You are not an intern, you are not an employee, you offer a service that boosts the revenue of both the client and your business.
It's your part to make the client understand the value of your product, but if he does not want to invest, he's in the wrong place.

 

[lucimornens]

Want to hear BHW's feedback on how you guys tend to deal with clients that keep demanding new revisions/services and being unreasonable and think you must do as they say? How you set boundaries especially after they have paid you money?

Especially since refunds hurt payment processors accounts

Emm.

I basically set the ground-rules from the very beginning as to what, how, when.

And if you're doing it via fiverr/upwork, well.. you will suffer definitely. It's a platform issue in this regard sadly. But even then try to establish everything beforehand.

Like don't accept the money until both you and your client understand and agree on everything.

 

[Software Monster]

Set clear boundaries from the start in your terms. After payment, politely enforce limits on revisions (‘X revisions included, extra will cost $Y’). Stay professional, document all communication, and if a client is unreasonable, it’s often better to finish the agreed work and politely decline extra demands rather than risk your account with refunds.

 

[nip]

Want to hear BHW's feedback on how you guys tend to deal with clients that keep demanding new revisions/services and being unreasonable and think you must do as they say? How you set boundaries especially after they have paid you money?

Especially since refunds hurt payment processors accounts

Don’t deal with stupid customers.... just refund them and move on. That’s how we handle it. You have to accept that some customers might have something off mentally, even when your delivery is exactly what they asked for. (But never refund 100%, charge him working time, setup fee etc..)

If your refund rate stays below 10–20%, your payment processor will be fine with it... that’s normal business. But if you’re running grey or blackhat, then you’re fucked anyways.

 

[Deleted member 2215878]

Thank you guys for all the constructive advice appreciate you all

 

[OcrAft]

Intuitive to each client. Also, if its a long term client, i will seek and extra "working bank of hours", like, if this client spending me alot of time and giving me no money after long time, i will need to re-caliberate with it, right? Its a business after all.

Some times, as i said, intuitivily-only-speaking, i will over deliver, it is indeed a default as napoleon hill says QQMA - Quality, Qunatity and Mentel Attitiude will determine good business owners

Gl with clients