How do you guys handle demanding clients?

The best way to handle unreasonable clients is to set boundaries before they become a problem. Always have your scope of work, number of revisions, and refund policy written clearly in your terms or contract. That way when they push for “endless extras,” you can point back to what was agreed.

You are trying to manage a project without having training, experience or certification to do so.

1. Find a course on PMP - Project Management Professional - Do the course -
Get the certification if you want letters after your name on your business card
You would be ASTONISHED as to what that does when you make a sales pitch ...
So now you know what must be done. You DO NOT know HOW to do it.

2. Find a course on Prince 2 Project management. It is what is used in the UK and EU - Do the course.
Get the certification if you want letters after your name on your business card
Now you know HOW to manage a project.

Every Project has 4 parts -

Start Date
End Date
Project Cost
Deliverable Product

Part of the Project Brief is SPECIFICALLY laying out the scope of the project and discussing it
with the stakeholders, in your case, those paying the bills.

At the end date the customer makes the final payment takes delivery

END . OF. PROJECT.

Change Requests ? More money

Enhancements outside scope ? More money.

More QA and testing ? More Money

More work? More money.

You fulfill the CONTRACT. NOTHING MORE unless you want to create good will, etc

Your deliverable should include everything concerning the project as well as everything
the NEXT VENDOR will need to do maintenance on the project. It shows that you are
honest and transparent and are giving the client a chance to find any other vendor and
that you aren't trying to lock them in to you. It also gives YOU a chance to tell them
to piss off if they are a troublemaker client.

Sincerely,

The Eye

Always closing myself. My team doesn't need to know about my margins.

Since it's a repeat issue, my recommendation would be to start with a CLEAR Ideal Client Profile.

Don't delegate it to ChatGPT please, do it yourself, since it's an exercise as well

Fully understand who're the people who bring most profit and who you want to work with.

After that, adjust your positioning to target your ICP, and qualify them BEFORE starting any working relationship.

I filter them out before taking the money
no money = no obligations

Being proactive with communication can save a lot of headaches. Setting boundaries early on helps, but if a client keeps pushing after that, it's essential to stand your ground.

Gaslight them.

First of all, make sure to structure your services. Give them a pdf file that includes the offer and details. So What's included and for what cost.

I also like to hand over another file that shows the cost transparancy. So for further work like monthly subscriptions, yearly payments or hourly work.

If that's clear you good to go. If the client is demanding more than agreed upon, you can refer to the documents and kindly tell them this work is being handled separatly.

McDon said:

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

Click to expand...

Don't interrupt — let them finish.
Maintain a calm, non-defensive tone.