Everyone talks about red flags when it comes to personal or business relationships but I want to talk about green flags. How to spot great clients and the green flags every freelancer or business owner should know before you start working with anyone. Green flags are just as important because it’s the people that will pay and continue to pay. I have some of the best photography clients out here if I do say so myself, and I have learned how to spot the green flags in each of them before they even began to work with me. Here are some tips to spot them in any business.
They respect my time and don’t rush me. I get new clients all the time when I say it takes me 10 business days to get them their photo, they are cool and say no rush at all, and then put that into action by not bothering me at all. I usually get photos to clients in less than 10 days, but the fact is that I have clients who don’t rush me. Green flag number 1.
They don’t just ask about the price, they ask about the process. Most clients lead off with Hi, I would like to hire you for such and such. How does your process work, and what are the costs associated with it? They don’t just say how much. They want to know details. This is how I know they are invested more because they value more than the cost. They value communicating and wanting to understand how my systems work. Green flag number 2.
There’s a difference between a client who’s enthusiastic about the project and one who’s already acting entitled before you’ve even started. Don’t be demanding before the shoot starts. I can tell immediately that things will go left on the initial email. I want clients who are excited to work with me, not ones who wanna run the whole show. I know you are paying but you want to be open to feedback, too. Green Flag number 3
Word-of-mouth clients already know who you are. Trust they asked their bestie or someone else about you, and 90% of my clients are word of mouth so they already know, and my regular clients have already told them how Kita is. I love that because they trust the person referring to them so I know if such and such referred them, they are good to go. Green Flag number 4.
Overall, you will always get bad clients; it’s the name of the game when you own a business. I have been blessed not to have too many of those, and if I do, I make sure it’s clear communication, and everything is always done via text or email so that we can all have a paper trail. Trust your gut when it comes to people. If your gut says run…do that.
