Client Relationship Checkup

Contributed by SBOC Member:

Pat Miller

Founder of the Small Business Owners Community

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5 Ways to Know When It’s Time to Let Go

Let’s talk about something uncomfortable: that one client who makes your stomach drop when their name shows up on your calendar.

You know the one.

It started off great but the relationship has deteriorated to feel like an obligation.

How did you get into a place where your business is serving a client that doesn’t value your work and you don’t enjoy working with them? Have you ever stepped back and looked for the signs?

Here are five warning signs that a client relationship is going the wrong direction and what to do about it.

Communication slows down
Great clients communicate clearly and promptly. When they stop responding, slow-walk deliverables, or start offering endless excuses about why they can’t get you what you need, take note. Everyone is busy. But if their lack of response becomes the norm, it’s not just bad luck. It’s a sign they’ve stopped prioritizing the work and maybe you.
Boundaries start blurring
If the client begins asking for more than what was agreed upon, it’s a red flag. When the relationship was healthy, expectations were clear. Scope creep is a symptom of dissatisfaction. If they’re reaching for more, it might be because what you’re doing isn’t delivering what they want or at least not in the way they expected. That needs to be addressed, not ignored.
Meetings become mysteriously hard to schedule
Isn’t it funny how aliens seem to land when it’s time for your next meeting? Last-minute cancellations, constant “illnesses",” and ghosted calendar invites aren’t always coincidences. If your client becomes difficult to pin down, it’s because the relationship has lost priority. High-trust, high-leverage partnerships don’t get skipped.
Fear is making you hold on
Sometimes it’s not the client it’s you. Are you afraid to lose them because your revenue depends on it? That’s not a client problem, that’s a sales problem. No one client should have the power to collapse your business. If losing them would tank your operation, it’s time to double your prospecting efforts and get more proposals in play.
You’re starting to resent the work
If their work feels heavy, annoying, or like it always lands at the bottom of your to-do list, check your pricing. Clients who pay well don’t feel like a burden. Clients who nickel and dime you? That’s where the resentment shows up. It’s not personal. It’s just time to either raise your rates.

Take Action Today

Make a list of all your current clients. Score them 1 to 10.

1 means: I’d offboard them tomorrow if I could.

10 means: I’d clone this client if I could.

Look at your 1s and 2s. What’s not working? Fix it or Fire them. For real.
Look at your 9s and 10s. What makes them such a great fit?

Then ask yourself:

What can I do today to attract more of the 10s?
How quickly can I offboard the 1s?

You don’t run a business. You own it.
You get to choose what work you do and who you do it for.

Let this be your checkup.
Let this be your permission slip.

Let this be your reminder: You didn’t start a business to feel trapped by it.

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Contributed by

Pat Miller

Founder of the Small Business Owners Community

Pat spent two decades in broadcasting management and hosting. After leaving the radio industry, he spent time consulting small businesses and realized the support system for entrepreneurs was broken. Where could you find help for improving small businesses and building real connections with other like-minded people. In June of 2020, the Idea Collective Small Business Community was born.