The Client Letter
October 31, 2012
Sedona, Arizona
Sunny 54 Degrees
Boo. Considering it’s Halloween, I’ve got something scary for you.
It’s the story of why you don’t want to pursue getting “clients for life.”
I’m not sure who exactly got the “clients for life” myth started, but the dude has caused me a lot of pain over the years.
I don’t know about you, but I fell for it. I fell for the idea that long term clients are a goal I should pursue. I adopted that mindset… it affected my decisions and my actions, and I suffered.
I fell for it back in 2007 and had the final payment of an agreement held over my head like a carrot because of it.
I fell for it in 2008 when I took on a project with a weasel (who turned out to be a crook) and worked for peanuts.
I fell for it back in 2009 and it caused me to lose an income stream of 180K per year (that’s a book by itself).
I’ve learned my lesson. It’s no longer a goal of mine and it’s not the mindset I operate under.
Sure, there are exceptions. But in general, it’s smarter to get in, get out, and go on.
If you want to charge high fees and have clients respect you, there’s a very good reason you don’t want to stick around.
And clients for life? Forget it!
I know this flies in the face of conventional business wisdom, but if you haven’t noticed, I’m not good with “conventional.”
The reason why you shouldn’t pursue “clients for life” is something I cover in How to Get Kick-As* Clients.
It’s just one of the nuggets of gold.