One of the most important things to keep in mind as a creative business owner is that working with aligned clients doesn’t just help you achieve your goals quicker – it also helps prevent you from burning out.

I’ve previously discussed the basics of finding aligned clients – but, in short, aligned clients are those who share your values, respect your boundaries, and understand your expectations.

Unaligned clients, though? They’re a whole different story.

They require a lot of effective communication that clearly expresses everyone’s expectations and deliverables in the early stages of working together.

However, if you keep finding that your efforts and their expectations and goals are simply not aligned with yours no matter how much you discuss these – it’s time to take action.

Let’s take a closer look at how you can filter out unaligned clients and avoid burnout while still growing your business.

What are unaligned clients?

An unaligned client is someone whose goals, expectations, and values do not align with yours. They typically have different ideas about what success means, or how to achieve it, and what specific processes and progress might look like.

With that in mind, unaligned clients can be a source of conflict, stress, and - you guessed it - burnout. They may have unrealistic expectations, demand much more than you agreed upon, or simply disregard your boundaries altogether.

Recognizing an unaligned client

Although it might seem tempting to work with as many clients as possible because this means growing your business and making money, working with an unaligned client can actually set you back.

That’s why it’s so important to recognize them from the beginning.

A few things that can help you recognize whether or not you’re working with an unaligned client can be:

Constant communication breakdowns: If you find yourself constantly having to clarify your expectations and deliverables, or if the client still doesn’t understand how you work, this can be a clear sign of misalignment.
Conflicting priorities: If the client’s priorities don’t align with the project goals established, it’ll be difficult to see the entire thing through and it can be challenging to move forward effectively.
Distrust: If the client is constantly doubting your ability or questioning your decisions, this can be a clear sign that they won’t trust your approach and won’t follow your advice.

Once you learn to recognize unaligned clients, it becomes a lot easier to start filtering them out to avoid any issues further down the line.

Filtering out unaligned clients

When it comes time to filter out unaligned clients, there are a few things you can do to ensure that you’re making the right decision. At the end of the day, recognizing the signs of misalignment and filtering out incompatible clients can help you save time, effort, and problems further down the line.

But, how can you recognize these clients in the first place? Glad you asked – let’s take a closer look!

Here are three situations where it’s easy to recognize if a client doesn’t align with you or your work:

1. They want a service or outcome that you don’t offer

Wanting to please your clients is understandable, but sometimes… clients may want a service or outcome that you simply don’t offer.

As the boss, it’s important to remember that you have the final say in the services you provide – not your clients. And standing firm with the services that you offer shows you know exactly what you’re good at and can actually deliver quality results.

After all, your job as a “service provider” is to be the client’s guide and to help them understand what they’ll be receiving and walking away with. This means being totally transparent about your skills, knowledge, and outcomes.

When this happens, the best thing you can do for yourself and your business is to adopt a CEO mindset – not a freelancer mindset.

What does that involve? Well, a CEO mindset means…

Making strategic decisions
Choosing a path that aligns with your goals
Visionary thinking and creative problem solving
Continuous learning and improvement

Meanwhile, a freelancer mindset is all about taking on any work that comes your way – regardless of whether it aligns with your goals, expertise, or wants.

For example, if a potential client wants to work with you, but they’re looking for a service or outcome that you simply don’t offer, it can be tempting to just take the job and deal with it as you go – especially if you really need the money.

However, it’s important to give yourself the time and space to truly evaluate the situation and, if it doesn’t align with your goals or expertise, simply decline and refer them to someone else.

This won’t just save you time, but it’ll also end up saving you – and this client – money down the line.

2. They don’t respect your boundaries

Working with clients who don’t respect your boundaries can be draining, both mentally and emotionally. This is especially true when a client is pushing for a lot more than what you’re comfortable with giving – and even more so if they do so repeatedly, ignoring your requests to stop.

In cases like these, it’s best to look back and evaluate whether or not you were truly clear about your boundaries.

In some cases, people might feel like they’ve communicated their boundaries when in reality haven’t – all of which can lead to uncomfortable situations for everyone involved.

For example, did you clearly express how people can communicate with you? Did you let them know about your off-hours, off-days, etc? Did you talk them through what you don’t feel comfortable with?

If the answer is no, a slight miscommunication might be to blame for why your boundaries were overstepped. This can be easily solved by, well… communicating with the client directly and making sure they understand what you’re trying to say.

If you did, however, communicate these clearly, this person is simply an unaligned client – which means it’s time to take action to make sure this doesn’t continue to happen with them or anyone else.

Most importantly, though, if there ever comes a moment when you feel physically, mentally, or emotionally unsafe, it’s clear that the situation has crossed the line – and it’s OK to say “no” if you need to.

Remember, you have the right to create and enforce boundaries that protect your well-being, in your business and beyond!

3. Your style isn’t the style they’re looking for

Working with a client whose style doesn’t align with yours can be a challenging situation.

And, while it might not always be clear at the beginning, it’ll become more and more apparent as you start to onboard them.

If this ever happens, a great way to overcome this obstacle is to guide the client toward your style and make sure that your expectations are clear from the get-go. By being transparent about your approach, your communication style, and your work process, you can give clients a better understanding of what it’s like to work with you – and it can help both of you determine if you’ll be the right fit.

However, along with this, it’s also important to listen to the client’s needs and preferences. If their style is different from yours, you can try to find some common ground and explore ways to accommodate for one another’s preferences without sacrificing too much. But, if the mismatch is significant, it’s best to have an honest conversation and amicably part ways before going too far.

One way to address this before setting things in motion is by including clear clauses in your contract that outline your expectations and work style. That way, clients can get a sense of what they’re getting into before making the final decision.

Saying goodbye to unaligned clients for good

At the end of the day, when it comes to making sure that everyone’s expectations are aligned, there are three steps I’ve found to be extremely helpful:

Hop on a discovery call to discuss your work and style with the client
Repeat the expectations in writing, including emails and contracts so it’s easy for everyone to find and look at
Have the client repeat back what they want and expect from this partnership – this can be through an onboarding questionnaire – and make sure you document it while acknowledging important factors such as office hours, a timeline for work, etc.

If the situation does come up where a client is unaligned with your services or style, use your discretion and have a conversation with them about the next steps. If necessary, you can choose to let them go completely or simply refer them to someone else who might be a better match!

Remember, though: the most important thing to take away from this is that being clear about expectations is the best way to avoid unwanted surprises later on.

And if you do end up with an unaligned client, use it as an opportunity to revisit your processes, marketing, or message to attract more aligned clients in the future.

You might just need to share more about your style through your various channels of communication – from your website to your follow-up emails – to make sure this doesn’t happen again!

Looking to align your clients and services for a more seamless experience? Click here to book a discovery call with me, and let’s take a look at how we can work together to ensure that you’re attracting the right people to your business!

And make sure you share this blog post with someone you know who might be struggling with unaligned clients – it might be what they need to take a new step in the right direction.

3 Ways to Help You Filter Out Unaligned Clients and Minimize Burnout