The Types of Clients You’ll Get

Learn about the seven types of customers you may encounter in your professional life and how to work with them.

Image by the author

Not all clients are created equal.

When you first launch your freelancing career, ANY client is a good client. Sometimes, that even goes for clients who can’t pay. You just want the experience and will do almost anything for a good reference.

But quickly, you begin to realize that not all clients are created equal. Some are better than others. And, some are better for YOU than they are for other people.

A great client-freelancer relationship is a little like a great marriage. Both parties recognize and appreciate where they are different from one another. They respect each other’s roles and know that they can accomplish far more than either of them could alone.

This is the holy grail of freelancing situations. We all want to work for someone who respects us, who gives us the freedom to accomplish their vision in the best way, and who listens to our input. But, it takes time to find and develop this type of client-freelancer relationship.

As you’re working toward this, I want to help you define the types of clients you’ll typically encounter.

Once you know what to look out for, it is much easier to avoid the difficult clients altogether and choose the clients who are best suited for you.

As an added bonus, in this article, I’ll also give you some tips for working with many of the different types of clients you will face so that you can make the best of working with these clients. And, maybe, turn a mediocre client into a good (or even great!) one.

The Client Mountain

Often, as a baby freelancer, you’ll either not recognize the clients who are wrong for you, or you’ll be forced to work with them simply because you don’t have other prospects.

All freelancers have taken on at least one nightmare client. Unfortunately, it’s what you have to do as you ascend the client mountain.

There are a lot of sub-par clients looking for help. But, as you ascend the mountain, you can become a bit more choosy…