Fire Your Worst Customers for Added Income

Join writer, Dirk Upland in a somewhat controversial articles about reclaiming your time and energy from those customers who drain it. Learn getting rid of customers who are a drain on your business should be a part of everyone's business plan.

You're Fired

Firing a small percentage of your customers may be in your best interests in regards to your business. It's unfortunate that 5-percent of one's customers will take up 85-percent of one's time. Getting rid of this 5-percent will free you up to devote more time to your other customers, seek out new customers or work on other aspects of your business.

Some business owners still go by the theory that "the customer is always right." This theory is counterproductive is today's business world. The customer is not always right. The customer's needs, though, (whether they know them or not) are always right. This means that doing what is right and necessary on behalf of your customer is always the right thing to do. This rule applies to 95-percent of your customers and yourself.

Sometimes it is necessary to put your own needs first and fire the worst 5-percent of your clients. The clients who need to be fired are the ones who make truly excessive phone calls, emails or show up unexpected and frequently and take up an inordinate amount of your time. These clients demand more than a little hand holding. They demand that you chew their food for them before they will swallow. These clients make great demands and want you to parent them. They often have a wild sense of self-righteousness and entitlement and expect you to fill all of their voids.

Many of these clients will turn verbally abusive when they don't get their way, expecting free services and special treatment simply because they don't feel special in life. They throw their emotional baggage at you and expect you to catch all of the pieces mid-air without dropping any.

It is more than just business with these clients. Your interaction is an important part of their life drama. Drama kings and queens they are and not in a good way. You end of trying to fulfill more of their personal needs than their business needs.

If you've never fired an abusive client, then there are a few things to think about before you do. Prepare an exit strategy in regards to the client you wish to fire. This includes expediting their order or services if necessary in order to send them on their way. Make a list of all of the tasks that need to be completed in order to get rid of your client. If the timeline is too lengthy, then you may need to cut the project short and give a total or partial refund (refunding the money will save you money in the long run). Be civil but firm when explaining your need to no longer work with your client. Yes, you may hurt their feelings but this is better than taking a bit out of your bottom line.

If you can expedite the project and get rid of your client without incident, then when your client tries to hire you again, use your best people skills to refuse the project. Many business owners hate to turn down any business since they think erringly that they can't replace it. It may take some creativity and planning but nearly every client can be replaced. Don't be a slave to the 5-percent of your worst clients. Fire them and move on.

About the Author

Dirk has over 20 years of business experience and over 7 years experience in online business and marketing and writes occasional articles to share has business knowledge with the world.

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