Whatever business you run, sometimes you realize that a potential client is not worth the effort. Sometimes that is because they have nothing to offer. But very often it is also the case that they are just looking for a free ride.

These people or companies are not really clients because you’re never going to get any substantial business from them. I call them “wanna-be clients”. You need to avoid them like the plague. They are vampires, sharks, whatever you want to call them.

Here are some very typical indicators of a wanna-be client:
- He doesn’t know his own product or service well enough.
- He has no significant references.
- His business develops very slowly.
- He wants everything but doesn’t want to pay for anything.
- He constantly tries to bring your price down.
- He wants a lot of free consulting without ever having done any business with you.
- He is not willing to make any prepayments.
- He never pays on time, or even worse, he doesn’t pay at all.
- He says all of your competitors are better and cheaper than you.
- He always complains about everything.

My advice: Stay away from those people. They are bad luck. They cost you so much time and you’re never going to make anything off them. Rejecting a wanna-be client is not a missed opportunity but an avoided nuisance. Leave this junk up to your competitors.

I’ve lived and worked according to this principle for many years now. As a result, I work with people who know what they’re doing and who are willing to pay good money for good service. Remember, life is about quality and not quantity.