Going IT Alone: The Handbook for Freelance and Contract Software Developers

The difficult client

This type of client comes in many guises, but ultimately will cause you problems in one way or another. It's often better to not take on work from the more extreme of this type of client, but in most cases you will not have the luxury of knowing how difficult a client can be until you have started working with them.

Characteristics

Difficult clients will show at least one of a number of characteristics that you can learn to identify before you agree to engage in any work for them. These characteristics include:

• Lacks a basic understanding of technicalities of the service you provide: This isn't a definitive indication of a client who can be a handful to manage, but its's certainly a red flag that should raise your suspicion—especially ...