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At some point in your career, you’ll have to make a tough decision: is working with a particular client worth your time and energy?

In other words, is the juice worth the squeeze?

One of my very first days at my company, the president/owner came up to me and said, "As long as you work off commission, your time is as valuable as mine." 10+ years later, that quote still sticks with me.

Not All Clients Are Created Equal

We want to work with clients who see us as true partners and advisors. The ones who value our expertise, understand the market, and respect the work we put in.

What we don’t want:

• Clients who suck up our time without real intent to move forward.

• Clients who haggle over fees and rates like it’s a flea market negotiation.

• Clients who want to use 100 different vendors, pitting them against each other instead of forming true partnerships.

Even in a tough market, I’d argue that your time is better spent sourcing better prospects than dealing with bad clients.

Let me give you an example.

The QlikView Developer Debacle

Back in November, we picked up a role for a QlikView Developer at a large pharmaceutical company. A niche role, sure, but the hiring manager reached out to us specifically because of our success with his peers at the company.

He gave us a good bill rate. He told us the role was remote. He mentioned he’d be picky, but remote work and a strong bill rate go a long way.

So we got to work. It took a few days, but we found three highly qualified remote candidates. We sent them over.

A week later, he finally responds: "Actually, I’m looking for someone local."

Annoying, but okay. We pivot.

We start sourcing local candidates. In the process, two of them tell us they were already submitted—by another vendor.

Now this is really annoying.

We ask the manager about it. He casually tells us he added two more vendors because we "didn’t find anyone." We reminded him that we actually did find three great candidates—remote, per his original request.

His response? "Oh, sorry."

At this point, it’s late December. The market is slow with people heading into holiday mode. But we’re committed, so we continue the search.

Miraculously, we find three more strong local candidates. He interviews all of them.

Then rejects all of them.

We ask for feedback. The only response we get? "Not strong enough."

Knowing When to Walk Away

Let’s recap:

1. He changed the job parameters and wasted a week.

2. He misled us about working with us exclusively.

3. He refused to provide meaningful feedback after rejecting solid candidates.

We decided to walk away.

The Inevitable Follow-Up

Fast forward to last week.

The manager reaches out again. The role is still open. He’s panicking because if he doesn’t fill it soon, he’ll lose his budget for the headcount.

He also tells us he’s "lowered his standards."

Our response? The unicorn you’re looking for doesn’t exist.

If he’s really lowered his standards, then he should reconsider the three strong candidates we already sent. He’s looking for an ultra-niche skillset in a barren market. If he doesn’t adjust his expectations, he’s going to be right back where he started.

We’ll see how he responds, but the reality is—this type of client isn’t worth anyone’s time.

The Takeaway

Not all revenue is good revenue. Not all clients are worth keeping.

When a client doesn’t respect your time, devalues your expertise, and constantly shifts the goalposts, walk away.

Your time is your most valuable asset. Spend it where it counts.

I’m still looking to build out the recruiting support network. We only have 15 sign ups so far. Once we hit 20 I’ll create the group.

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