7 Client Red Flags You Need to Know as a Freelancer

As a freelancer, there are certain signs that working with a client isn’t going to work out. Most of these make themselves apparent long before you start working with someone. If you notice them – run. 

Run, and never look back. 

Below is my personal list. It’s not exhaustive, but these are things I see often. They tell me that this working relationship isn’t going to be in my best interest. At least, it’s certainly not going to do anything for my mental health.

Yellow Flags

Before we get to the hard red flags, let’s start with some “yellow” flags.

If you’re just starting out in your career, you’ll see these fairly regularly. They’re not entirely unreasonable for a client to say or do, for reasons I’ll cover below. But as you progress in your career, that yellow will slowly – but surely – shift to full-on red.

Asking For Free Work Samples

Just starting out in your freelancing journey? Don’t have much of a portfolio put together?

Get ready to be asked to provide free samples.

A lot.

This is one of those annoying things that you sort of just have to deal with early on. You’re welcome to try to push back against it – and I encourage you to when you can. I used to like asking for a token payment – $10, $20, something very small. Clients who would balk at paying such a miniscule amount generally weren’t worth my time. 

But chances are while you’re building your portfolio, you’ll need to bite the bullet and shoot through a sample.

The key word here is sample. A sample of work, not a completed job. 

If a client asks you to produce a completed piece of content for them for free – even if they’re saying they won’t use the content – it’s a hard no, regardless of where you are in your career.

A single sample piece with a watermark?

Fine.

A fully edited video, a completed SEO’d blogpost, a logo and branding kit ready to go?

No.

Not Wanting to Pay a Deposit

I list this as a yellow flag for the same reason as the above – you might be just starting out and the client might be unsure about paying sight unseen for work.

However.

The response to this is to offer the free sample, not to complete the full work in good faith the client will pay.

When the client has already seen a sample of work, or if you are an established professional with work that a client can already see and judge, then this becomes a red flag. Inexperienced or not, if they want you to produce the work, they can pay for it.

It’s especially a hard red flag when a client tries to tell you that paying a deposit is unusual or not the done thing. Trust me: it absolutely is, and the client is trying to gaslight you (see below).

Red Flags

And now for the red flags. These are those actions and requests that just scream to me it’s better to leave the money on the table than to move forward with a project.

Unrealistic Expectations

I mostly see this with my motion graphics work:

A client has just seen the latest amazing piece of marketing from Apple, and now they want someone to reproduce the video but tailored to their business.

And they want it next week.

And their budget is $100USD.

Sometimes these clients are simply misinformed. They’re lead to believe that video production is a simple job these days, where the tools do most of the work and the editor just pushes a few buttons.

Sometimes, these clients can be educated. You can offer them alternatives that suit their time and budget restrictions. You can work out something that works well for everyone involved, and it’s a great time.

More often, in my experience, you get either gaslit or insulted, and mercifully walk away with your sanity in check.

Gaslighting and Negging

“It’s not that difficult.”

“It shouldn’t take that long.”

“That’s not how it’s supposed to be done.”

“That’s too expensive for what this is.”

“You’re not good enough to charge this rate.”

Clients who want to belittle you before you even begin, or make you question your knowledge, experience and expertise, are not worth your time.

The second a client starts to doubt you – even if you’re new, even if you’re just beginning – walk away. You absolutely do not need to humour that sort of working relationship, and it will never end well.

Payment Issues

Money is the cause of, and solution to, just about every freelancer’s problems.

It’s natural, and even good practice, to try to negotiate fees and rates. This is to be expected, and generally shouldn’t be taken personally.

But when payment discussions with a client amount to little more than them questioning the rate, trying to negotiate payment terms that are unfavourable to you, or ignoring follow-ups when they don’t pay – walk away.

Well, get paid first if you’ve done the work.

Then walk away.

Uncooperative Clients

I’ve been doing what I do for a while. I like to believe I’m fairly good at it. My repeat clients would certainly suggest that.

But there are few things I hate more than when a client dumps a project on me and refuses to offer any further help. 

“What sort of style would you like? Who’s the target audience?”

“You’re the expert,” they say. “You tell me.”

Or,

“Can you help me find this incredibly niche piece of information/resource you’ve specifically requested I use but haven’t provided in the brief?”

“Are you going to refund me for doing your job for you?”

And so on.

You don’t want to work with these people. You certainly don’t need to work with these people.

When I’ve worked with a client for many years, it becomes fairly natural for them to dump projects on me and for me to go do things on my own. That’s because we’ve built up a solid working relationship where I know what they want and they know what to expect from me.

But when you’re starting to build a relationship, or working with a client for the first time, there needs to be collaboration to make it work.

Any client who treats you poorly for that isn’t worth your time or mental health.

The Ultimate Red Flag: Asking For Favours in Exchange for the Promise of More Work

“Do this one cheap/for free, and I’ll give you lots of work.”

No, they will not.

No, they will never.

The best, the absolute best you can hope to get out of any client that says that is more cut-rate work.

When you start to refuse to do the cheap jobs and insist on your full pricing, they will absolutely ghost you and find the next poor sucker willing to do their work for cheap.

I have not, in ten years of freelancing, had a client come back to me with substantial, full-price after doing them a favour on the first gig. 

Moreover, I’ve never met a freelancer who did manage to get ongoing, full-price work out of a client after doing the same.

It doesn’t happen. It never happens.

The kind of client who wants you to do the first job for free or for cheap is telling you clearly, in no uncertain terms, that they do not respect your work. If you do the job, you are telling them that your price is negotiable, and they will negotiate. 

They will resort to gaslighting and negging. 

They will argue about every cent you charge.

Run for the hills. Don’t even worry about leaving money on the table – there is no money. 

There is no table. 

There are only empty promises and exploitation to be had here.

***

Like I said, this is my personal list of red flags when it comes to dealing with clients. It’s not an exhaustive list, but these are the ones that always seem to rear their head. I’ve got a lot better at identifying them and protecting myself over the years. 

While it can seem hairy turning down work, it’s ultimately for the best to avoid these clients.

They were probably going to pay late anyway.