Is it possible to fire a client?

It is not only possible, sometimes it is the wisest thing you can do.

WhenI was involved in independent consulting, I had a couple of clients that had the same characteistics:
1) Slow to pay for work performed;
2) Always demending my time to fix something that they messed up but also always pointing out that "[They] shouldn't be charged because, after all, it was [my] fault that [they] couldn't do things right."
3) Usually asking me to spec a system and then going to a "brick and mortar" store to actually _buy_ the system.

I finally realized that what they really wanted was for me to donate my time to them. At that point, I notified them that, due to late payments, I would no longer be available to them. It relieved a lot of stress in my life and freed up a good bit of time for actual paying clients.

Sometimes a bad customer can become your best customer. I had a client once who took up a lot of my time for unbudgeted add on work so rather than "just say no" I increased by fees three fold to represent my true involvement.

They paid it without question. I made very sure they were satisfied after that. After all, they had just become my most valuable customer.

I'd agree that it is possible (and indeed sometimes necessary) to fire a client. That having been said, in my experience it is critical to ensure that the client is being fired for the right reasons...

One mistake that businesses make far too often is to fire customers that complain to them. Why is this a mistake? It's a mistake because if the customer is paying on time etc and complaining, they are actually doing you a favour by not only highlighting flaws within your product and / or service but by doing so for free when if you were to engage the services of a consultant, getting the same information could cost you thousands!

As you would be aware it takes effort to call a business, wait on hold for a while until you get through to the correct person in a senior position and then to outline your complaints in a calm and reasoned manner. Much more so if the complaint is put in writing. It's often much easier to not complain at all and to just switch to another provider - let's face it, there is an abundance of them.

Those customers that complain are letting you know why your customers that aren't coming back are going elsewhere, thus enabling you to continually improve your product and / or service.

By all means go ahead and fire those bad payers and those who tie up a disproportionate amount of your resources based on what they are paying you but whatever you do... Don't fire those good paying complainers - they are one of your businesses best assets!

Andy.

Jerry,

I would agree with Ralph and would add that it can sometimes be the best resolution for both parties. I have also been faced with this scenario a couple of different times in my career.

As in all circumstances honest, straight-forward, clear communication is best. I would also recommend that this conversation take place between the most senior leaders of both parties as both are likely far enough removed from the day-to-day of the relationship that the potential for the conversation to become personal is minimized. Finally, I would also suggest being able to recommend to your former client a competitive service provider which is a better fit for their needs.

Cheers,

William