Bad Clients Happen to Good Consultants

by John Rossheim

How do I loathe thee, client? Let me count the ways: Thee hath changed the goals of the consulting project midstream, casting me into unplumbed depths. Thee hath prevailed upon me to perpetrate a corporate deception on thy behalf. Yea, and thee hath even asked me to commit acts that could land me in the pokey.

Sorry Elizabeth Barrett Browning, but there's nothing poetic about it when a consultant finds himself in a business relationship gone bad. So let's cut to the chase and talk about when you should declare that you'll love the client better after you part ways.

Bad Business

If you're a temp, you may be glad to see your work assignment evolve toward a permanent position. But independent consultants are likely to see this as a gig gone sour. "I've had year-long relationships where I was filling a permanent role in the company," says Amy Jo Kim, founder of online community consulting firm NAIMA. "I severed the relationships because they had gone on so long that I was getting caught up in company politics." Hence, her project was taking a back seat.

Kim became frustrated with another client, because "they weren't using me effectively," says Kim. "They didn't want my consultative process; they just wanted a certain amount of my time. They began to ask for random advice in areas that aren't my specialty." So Kim ended the engagement to avoid the risk of disappointing the client and harming her own reputation.

It's a red flag if a client demonstrates a waning commitment to the consulting project. Linda Swindling, an employment attorney and consultant in Carrollton, Texas, says consultants should consider terminating an arrangement proactively "when a client starts subtracting pieces of the project, closing their files or won't let you get to people you need."

Bad Ethics

Things go from bad to worse when a consultant is asked -- explicitly or implicitly -- to sacrifice his own ethics to serve the client's agenda. A consultant should be wary when the client ignores what you recommend or, upon confronting an unwanted finding, says "Let's take that out of your report," according to Swindling. Remember, as an independent professional your own integrity is at stake.

Kim had a client who exploited her work for an unethical purpose. "When I was acting creative director for an Internet startup, they asked me to mock up a site redesign over a weekend," she says. "The CEO showed the redesign to investors and said it would go online within a few weeks. But I knew it needed more time." So Kim withdrew from full-time work on the project.

Avoiding the Illegal

There comes a point where a client's unethical behavior shades into actions of questionable legality. "It's not uncommon to find yourself dealing with people who are looking for ways to skirt the law," says Daniel Cobrinik, an independent lawyer in New York City. For example, manufacturers look for ways to reduce the costs of complying with environmental regulations -- some of these tactics are legal, others are not.

The bottom line is, "if you're called on to assist in some sort of illegal activity, you've got to get out," Cobrinik says. If a client asks you to perform acts that are clearly illegal, "you always have the right to resign for cause."

Protect Yourself

The best way to avoid unhappy endings is to plan for difficult situations. In consulting contracts, "I always have some sort of resolution language and a notice procedure to specify how any potential conflict will be addressed," says Swindling. "If prospective clients are put off by this language, you can say, 'I don't think anything is going to happen, but let's make sure we prevent it.'"

When push comes to shove, you should listen to your gut. "If you don't feel good about a client, it's probably time to leave that client," says Swindling. "Every time I haven't, I've regretted it -- and it's cost me."