General Tips, Your Event Career
3 MORE Clients You Should Blacklist from Your Event & Wedding Planning Business!
I’m going to let you in on a little secret… A major (but often unmentioned) part of your event planning training is learning this valuable lesson: you are NOT obligated to work with clients who actively choose to disrespect you!
Earlier this week, we took a look at 2 types of nightmare clients you should try to avoid doing business with. Today, we’ve got 3 more client types to steer clear of. At the end of the day, who you choose to provide your services to is ultimately up to you.
But we can definitely promise you that blacklisting the following 3 types of customers from your wedding and event planning business WILL save you a lot of future hassle!
1. The Know-It-All
These are the clients who make you question why they even bothered seeking professional help in the first place. Because despite you being the industry expert, they always seem to know better. Even when they ask for your input, it’ll rarely matter what you say – they’ll always question your judgment, or want to go in a different direction.
You can often spot the signs of a Know-It-All client during the initial consultation. Since they like the sound of their own voice, they’re going to want you to know right off the bat how smart they are. Watch out for a potential client who talks over you, interrupts a lot, and gives you the impression that they’ll be difficult to work with every step of the way.
Usually, it only gets worse once the project actually starts. While we’re by no means saying that you should never give this type of client a chance, we are cautioning you to tread lightly. Know-It-All clients can sometimes be more hassle than the job is worth.
4. The Choosing Beggar
For many business owners, the Choosing Beggar is a true thorn in the side. In a nutshell, they’re someone who doesn’t see the monetary value in the work you do. As such, they’ll try at every turn to get your services at a discounted price – or worse, absolutely free.
They won’t care how many event planning classes you’ve taken, how many certifications you have, or how much time and devotion you’ve put into your career. All they care about is spending as little as possible.
The more experience and confidence you gain in the industry, easier it’ll be to shut their nonsense down at the source. You’ll be able to see them coming a mile away, and you’ll know better than to entertain the idea of working with them.
But in the beginning, when you’re first starting out, Choosing Beggars can seem a bit scary. Without a strong backbone, you can easily be taken advantage of.
This is why it’s important to know which red flags to watch out for. If they start trying to haggle you to lower your prices right out of the gate, they’re not taking you or your business seriously. Many may straight up try to fight you; resorting to petty name-calling and empty threats of destroying your reputation. Don’t fall for it.
Always stay professional, stay polite, and stick to your guns. A choosing beggar can’t be reasoned with. Your best bet is to kindly decline your services to them, wish them a good day, and be on your way.
5. The Swindler
Of all the awful clients you can encounter, the Swindler may arguably be the worst. This is because this type of person is crafty; they’ll play along so they can get every last bit of hard work out of you. Then, when the time comes for them to actually pay you?
No dice.
A Swindler will find every reason under the sun to avoid paying you what they agreed to. They’re a master of excuses! One day, they may have some unexpected emergency in their personal life that prevents them from answering any of your calls. The next, they may suddenly have an issue with the service you provided them (that they conveniently never mentioned before). You get the idea.
Ultimately, their hope is that if they dodge you long enough, you’ll eventually give up and stop coming after them for payment.
Learn your lesson quickly: only give a Swindler ONE chance, and only one. If they burn you once, they’ll be guaranteed to try it again. Use your best judgment to go about trying to get your money from them, but know that you may have no choice but to take the loss (unless you’re willing to escalate the matter and take them to court).
A solid event planning contract with firm payment deadlines can help protect you against Swindlers. These often require 1/3 payment before any work starts, 1/3 at a later date, and the final 1/3 anywhere from 30 or 60 days before the event. This way, if the client tries to swindle you, you can stop working with them immediately. Plus, they won’t get to benefit from the fruits of your labor!
Ultimately, it’ll be their loss in the end!
Either way, if a client doesn’t hold up their end of the bargain and gives you trouble when payment time comes around, do NOT ever work with them again. Save yourself the headache.
Can you think of other nightmare clients that weren’t included on this list? Let us know in the comments below!
