If you have started your business online and are starting to receive clients, you can very quickly become overwhelmed with projects and it will not always be easy for you to know which one to accept, especially since some projects will be a bad business for you. . So how can you quickly identify projects that will not benefit you?

To answer this, you need to ask yourself the right questions. More precisely:

  • What does the customer really need?
  • Are you able to deliver it?
  • Would delivering benefit your business in the long run?

While it's important for you to always find new ways to grow your business and your customer base, compromising your integrity or the quality of the work produced is never the right solution. And that means being able to identify which projects are worth saying 'no' to.

Here is a questionnaire that you can ask when you receive a new request of which you are not sure of the usefulness for your blog:

1. Talk to your instincts

If you've spent enough time with people, your instincts should be good enough to tell you when something is wrong. Ask yourself why you feel hesitant about this project:

  1. Does the project require you to cross an ethical or moral boundary?
  2. Is the suggested pay rate irrelevant? Too high or too low? (If it's for a good cause, you might be willing to look after the low pay (or not).)
  3. Is the client too pushy / needy / vague?
  4. Are you completely new to this niche or industry?
  5. Do you feel that your skill level will seriously affect the success of the project?
  6. Is this the fifth job in a row that you've had to accept because clients keep referring you to their friends (which is great), but you don't like this kind of work or are you starting to feel taken advantage of ( which is not great)?

There are a number of reasons why your instincts may be telling you "no". Listen to it before proceeding with the project. It may not be enough to completely rule it out – especially if you need the money – but it should be taken into account, especially if the reasoning is ethical in nature.

2. Ignore the customer

As you know, communicating with customers is not always easy. The client doesn't understand web design or development, which means there will likely be a lack of communication between the two of you. You may even hear them throwing out technical jargon that doesn't make sense or is misused..

Now, I'm not saying you should ignore a customer. However, before you sign dotted lines and agree to take on a project, I think you can ignore what your client is telling you (I mean the words that come out of their mouth). Instead, take a moment to see if you can dig what they want really say :

  1. Is there a similar project that you can draw inspiration from?
  2. Does their project require a deviation from your workflow or tools?
  3. Is there any part of this demand that you are currently unable to handle?
  4. If so, is it something you would be willing to learn? If not, do you have time to find an expert to outsource it?
  5. Is there a difference in the time commitment for a project like this compared to a standard project?
  6. Are you aware of any complications that may arise with a project of this nature?
  7. If they have proposed a budget for the project, will they sufficiently cover your costs?

It is during this phase that you should be able to decipher what the project really entails.

3. Check your abilities

Look, I know when you're asked about a new business opportunity, your first instinct is probably to say "how high?" Rather than asking all these questions. But what if your current skills aren't capable of going that far? What if taking the time to learn this skill is going to blow your budget and turn the job into a complete failure? Or what if taking the time to learn this skill is a total waste for you?

Before you enthusiastically say “yes” to a new project, first check if you are capable. You may find that the project is not worth it.

  1. Where is your business currently? Is it a business in point?
  2. Are you running out of portfolio samples and need this type of project to get your business noticed?
  3. Is this request completely beyond the scope of what you do and not something you wish to associate yourself with?
  4. What do you need to learn to take the request? Do you have time to learn it or will you have to follow a training on the job (which is not ideal)?
  5. Would you gain valuable skills by taking on a job of this magnitude that you could then use for other projects?
  6. Do you believe you could effectively deliver what the customer wants without negatively affecting your other customers?

It is a problem. Obviously, you need money to sustain your business. Also, you need to learn new skills and stay on top of new trends if you want your business to stay relevant and appealing to new customers. However, never forget that there are potential ramifications to deal with when taking on projects that you are not well suited for.

4. Pay very close attention to the customer

Some projects can be harmful to your business for a number of reasons. Websites that are below your skills could reflect badly on you and hurt your abilities. Websites that are outside of your skill set could reflect just as badly on you if you don't perform the requested feature or functionality properly.

But these projects can also harm your business if you work with the wrong client. Once you're done figuring out what they're actually asking for and if you're capable of giving it to them, it's time to take a closer look at the customer themselves:

  1. What do other web developers have to say about them? (Check out their testimonials and references on LinkedIn.)
  2. What do former employees have to say about them? (Check Glassdoor for a review.)
  3. Is their business legit or is it Google tells you a different story? (Search for their name and company name in conjunction with the words "scam" and "fraud.")
  4. What does their social media personality tell you? Are they easy-going, open-minded and forward-thinking? Or do they seem hard and difficult?
  5. Does their personality mesh well with yours, or does it seem overly demanding, judgmental, or pessimistic?

A client with a bad record is an immediate red flag. A client who has already demonstrated a general lack of respect for you or the work you do is a client you should definitely avoid. Be on the lookout for these signs before deciding if a project is worth it.

That's it for these projects. Feel free to share this tutorial with your friends.