GUARANTEED WAYS

TO CLOSE THE DEAL

WITH TRICKY FREELANCE CLIENTS

THE “WALK AWAY” TECHNIQUE

BY SPENCER FORMAN

COURSE NOTES + ACTION STEPS

 THE "WALK AWAY" TECHNIQUE

In this handbook you will learn when it might be time to

take your ball and go home.

One of our students from 1WD.tv shared her problem with us.

Spence demonstrates how the “walkaway” technique can can

solve the problem.

1WD.tv | Freelance Web Designer

Training
 THE PROBLEM

Dear Spence,

One of my clients is a lawyer and she’s been asking for a LOT

of extra changes, some of it truly custom theme modifications
(not just changing header, fonts and colours). She wouldn’t
agree to paying extra for me to hire a developer (which I’ve
done), so already I’ve eaten a lot of the costs, besides putting
in a ton of free time customizing things until my face has turned
blue (she asked me to change the shade of her corporate
colour several times, it’s ridiculous).

Now she wants even MORE custom work done, which I will
have to hire a developer AGAIN. However, this time, I’ve
decided to get her to approve the changes in a Photoshop
mockup that I will do before sending it to a developer.
Unfortunately she’s my first WordPress client (who happens to
be a lawyer — and female, which explains the ability to
perceive multiple shades of pink, and demand subsequent
revisions in seeking this ideal shade of pink).

1WD.tv | Freelance Web Designer

Training
I admit that I made a huge error when creating my contract. I
had forgotten to specify the maximum number of revisions for
the website. It’s my first WordPress website for a client and I
was writing it up for several other design tasks, and had
specified the number of revisions for all other elements.

Her argument is that the whole reason why she’s hired me is to

create a website that is customized, feeling that she could do
such things herself. How do you argue to that? (Good thing
you, too, were a lawyer in the past!) I am a fully-trained graphic
designer with a bachelor’s degree in graphic design. I wonder
how the website would look if she tried to do it herself, or get
someone else in her family (ie. high school kid) to do it (which
she feels she can)?

What constitutes custom work? Am I right to charge her extra

for hiring a developer?

1WD.tv | Freelance Web Designer

Training
EVIL GENIUS TIP
FROM SPENCE

1WD.tv | Freelance Web Designer

Training
I would suggest that you solve this problem with some
reverse psychology.

Sit down… I’m going to blow your mind:

I would NOT argue with this client over increasing her

budget or hourly. No no no no no no no. This WILL backfire
on you. Why? Because she is a female attorney.

Before you or anyone stone me to death…let me explain.

1WD.tv | Freelance Web Designer

Training
She has been able to get where she is as a female in a
profession that is dominated by chauvinistic males…
because she’s willing to FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT over every
single minute detail. AND WORSE… she will take
EVERYTHING PERSONALLY.

In sum: If you change your pricing, she will torment you until
you want to put your head in the toilet and end it all.

Don’t do it.

(P.S. – male attorneys are even worse, so don’t think I’m

picking on female attorneys… I’ve been practicing since
1992… it’s a mess in that world)

1WD.tv | Freelance Web Designer

Training
You cannot fight an attorney (especially a female attorney)
on details. You can win by playing HARD TO GET…but you
have to start by GIVING BACK THE MONEY. This causes a
complete legal “washout” of any position she might take of
coercion because her only damages are completely
mitigated by you giving her both the money back and your
work product. She cannot claim any harm as a result (other
than lost time, but that’s not really at issue here).

I’ve had to do this on a few occasions and it will work 50% of

the time. BUT… the other 50% of the time were actually well
worth it.

Why? Because I SAVED MY SOUL and SANITY in the

process. It may have cost me hours of time lost with no
compensation…but I avoided wasting 2 or 3x more in the
process.

1WD.tv | Freelance Web Designer

Training
I WOULD CONTACT HER DIRECTLY WITH A SIMPLE NOTE LIKE THIS:

“Dear xyz (use her first name only…not her surname),

I wanted to reach out to you directly to let you know that I feel we’ve
gotten off to a bad start. Somewhere along the way I may have not
made it clear to you that my charges for completing your website were
based upon a simple design with a limited number of revisions. As a
result of not making myself clear enough to you, it seems you feel that
we can continue to go over the minute details ad infinitum
(yes…actually use this phrase!!). But we cannot. I cannot.

My business relies upon my giving 100% of my creative energy to each

client but with a very close watch on how much total time I expend. If I
exhaust my time and energy on one project, for which I have not
properly been compensated for my time, I will quickly go out of
business and thereby be available to no one.

Because I feel completely responsible for not having made this clear
from the start, I cannot in good conscience put the burden on you to
pay for any of my services to date, knowing that I cannot continue
onward without a significant adjustment in the budget for this job and a
limit on the number of modifications.

1WD.tv | Freelance Web Designer

Training
As such, I am hereby refunding 100% of the money you have paid me
to date, and offering to you all of the work product I have created thus
far. I do this out of a sense of fair-play and responsibility for building my
brand and reputation as a freelance web designer who truly cares
about building long-term relationships.

I wish you the best of luck in all of your endeavors and hope that you
are able to find someone who is willing to continue onward with you
and your design concepts at the same rate and budget previously
anticipated. For my part, I would need you to agree to a budget closer
to $XXXX.XX (insert a LARGE figure here that will CERTAINLY cover
your rear end if she agrees).

I’m always available to you to help coordinate the transfer of your

design assets to another designer, or should you potentially be
interested in continuing our relationship from a different budgetary
starting point.

Either way, it has been my pleasure to work with you and to make your
acquaintance!

Best wishes,
YOUR NAME ”

1WD.tv | Freelance Web Designer

Training
 TAKEAWAYS

1. Take full responsibility (put nothing on her).

2. Offer up front a FULL REFUND…no bickering at all.

3. Make it CLEAR you are going to PULL OUT NOW… leaving

it all on her to figure out what next.

4. Be extremely COURTEOUS in the whole process.

5. Make you APPEAR HARD TO GET. That you respect

yourself and your values enough to walk away from receiving
payment for work already performed.

Spencer Forman is the founder of LabSecrets and LabZip,

companies that provides incredible software, practical advice,
and hands-on WordPress solutions for other entrepreneurs
who may be struggling with the mechanics of how to turn their
online business dreams into reality.

1WD.tv | Freelance Web Designer

Training