Green Flags to Look for to Find Amazing Clients

It’s easy (and trendy) to talk about all the red flags to look for as warning signs for toxic clients, so what SHOULD you be looking for? Here are my top GREEN flags.

I was sitting at lunch one day with a team of creatives from an agency that I freelance for, they were actually the last agency I ever worked for full-time, and the owner mentioned the posts I do calling out toxic corporate culture. He was worried I was talking about him! Well, if I was, I wouldn’t be at that lunch. Also, just the fact that he asked and was concerned about it shows that he’s NOT one of those people. That agency and everyone else I work with now is absolutely lovely. Here are some things to look out for so you can have a roster of delightful clients who love to pay you, too!

Respectful Turnaround Times

There’s nothing worse than being delegated a due date without a conversation around it. The best people to work with will talk through the project with you and come up with a timeline that works for both of you. You are both human, after all, and you both want to do a good job for the client. There are occasions when they might be in a pinch and need something quickly, and that’s fine. 

In fact, you’ll be more than happy to rally for them because of how nicely they have treated you in the past. This is a really important question to ask during interviews or consult calls too… “what is the standard for turnaround time?” That way you can set your expectations and boundaries right away so there’s no miscommunication or misunderstanding.

Work Requests with Heart

Again this goes back to treating you with respect. Copywriters are not mind-readers… but we might be people-pleasers who will bend over backward and investigate what a certain direction or request means. When a work request is sent with heart, the person assigning or delegating it to you will make sure that you have all the information and source materials you need in order to do the best job possible. 

They want to see you succeed so they will gladly do their part in getting research, helpful links, interviews, testimonials, etc., together for you before you start the project. They also always send you things that are copy and paste-able… or, at least we hope. Every copywriter knows the pain of getting source material that’s scanned in from a printed source, or PDFs that you can’t highlight. *eye-roll emoji**

Female Leadership

I’m not saying that ALL male leaders are garbage… and I’m not saying that ALL female leaders are magnificent. What I am saying, based on my decade of experience in this industry, is that my experience has always been better when working with a woman. Female entrepreneurs, creative directors, project managers, copy chiefs, heads of content… you name it. Always better with a woman at the helm. 

You still have to use your own discernment and trust your intuition above all. If you’re seeing and feeling red flags, don’t do it. But if you’re going into a new opportunity and you see that the company has female leadership or you will be working directly with a woman, this is a great sign.

Defending the Creative Team

This is actually a story from a male leader I recently got to be part of! An agency I freelance for was on a client call and the client started spinning. He was freaking out about deadlines and blaming our team for the problems. 

I’ve been in situations like this before where the CEO throws the creative team directly under the bus in order to save face, but not this guy. He stuck up for his creatives and through simple communication and explanation, was able to talk the client off a ledge and everyone left the meeting happy. 

So if you’re starting off with a new team and a sticky situation comes up, notice how the person leading the meeting or leading the team handles it. If they stick up for you, that’s a major green flag and you can have peace of mind that you’re in a healthy environment. 

Respecting Your Job Description (You’re not a project manager.)

This should all be clarified in your contract, but unless you enjoy keeping everyone working on the project on track, hunting down documents, organizing calls, etc., your client’ shouldn’t expect you to do so. And it’s also your responsibility to make it clear that it’s not your job. It’s a huge green flag when clients understand what a copywriter actually does. And if they don’t, you have the opportunity to educate them. Don’t just write someone off because they don’t know what you’re “supposed” to do. Take the time to explain it and then hold them accountable for following through with that agreement. Boundaries! When all this comes easily and naturally with a client, that’s a huge green flag you can be really excited about. 

Reasonable Work Hours

This is pretty obvious, but if a client has reasonable expectations on when you’ll be available and how quickly you’ll respond to their messages… green flag! I remember working at agencies that would praise and reward people for staying late, coming early, and responding to emails at all hours of the day and night. 

To that, I say… absolutely not. A green flag client will respect your time and give you space to process and respond. Your nervous system is going to THANK YOU when you find and work with these lovely clients!

Raises and Bonuses, Not Pizza Parties

One of my TikToks that went mini-viral last year was about leftovers in the break room. I think it’s absolutely insulting when agencies who have the budget to cater a decent lunch for everyone, just throw the leftovers from their VIP client meetings in the break room and expect the rest of the team to be excited about it.

This concept has been “memed” recently too, but no one wants a pizza party. We want money. Cash. Bonuses. Higher compensation. If you work with a client who is generous, has no drama about your prices, and rewards you monetarily when your work helps make them lots of money… they’re keepers. This is the best green flag of them all!

If you’re looking for more support in your copywriting business, you should learn more about the Freelance Flow Mastermind for Copywriters! Get all the info HERE and contact me to set up a 15-minute intro call to see if this program is a good fit for you 🙂