Evaluating potential clients
Lately, I’ve been thinking about how to choose the best clients. I want to have a systematic approach that can be repeated for everyone with whom I might work.
I’d also like to be able to share this approach with others, so I’m working on an article to help freelancers evaluate potential clients. I started by putting together a list of questions I might use. Here it is:
- Do the client’s values align with mine?
- What is their ability to pay?
- Will I be able to publicize the work afterwards?
- What’s the likelihood that the work will go live?
- Is there proper executive support in place for the project?
- What “good” will this work do in the world?
- Does this work have strategic value for the client?
- Does this work have strategic value for me?
- Are they assholes?
- Will I be able to measure the impact of my work?
- Will I be able to use interesting metrics (such as stress created, confidence created, other perception-based metrics)?
Obviously, this is incomplete and brings up a bunch of things I’d need to decide upon before I could complete such an evaluation (these will be addressed in the article), but it’s a start.
My question for you: how do you evaluate potential clients? What questions to do you ask? What red flags do you look for?
If you post a comment, I’ll let you know when the article is published. Thanks!
Bradley-
This is a great list, and quite functional. If I may add to it: I always ask if they have ever worked with a firm like mine. Typically, they have not. But if they have, I like to know what their experience was like, and why. If the previous firm is similar enough to mine, I can glean some valuable intel and insight as to how I will be perceived, where I can improve my value proposition, and most important, I can identify potential pitfalls, and mitigate or neutralize them early doors.
I also like when my Client is the first to drop an “F-bomb”. Then I know we’re in business.
Laters,
-Mike-
aperturecapital.com