I hope you have listened to the audio interview with Michael Port by now from The Freelancer’s Show, it’s really useful.

If so, you’re going to know what the Red Velvet Rope policy means.

The Red Velvet Rope Policy is a policy you use to determine if someone is your ideal client or not. It will keep out the dud and problem clients and allow you to work with the best people you can.

My Red Velvet Rope policy

I’ve defined my own Red Velvet Rope policy after dealing with a few, shall we say… “difficult clients”. The key factors on my policy are:

• Wants to contribute to the Open Source community

90% of my software development is on Open Source systems, so my ideal client can understand that by contributing their customizations back, everyone benefits.

• Is an active participant in their projects, giving frequent feedback

After having clients go dark for weeks on end, I require getting frequent feedback from clients.

• Don’t compromise on quality

Adding “just one more thing” to an almost completed project can doom it. Many times what’s added in the last 10% of the project destroys the good 90%.

• Can make decisions quickly when needed

Working with a client who can decide quickly is a great boon. This makes decisions easier since I know we’ll get an answer quickly.

• Understands that I am the expert with the software

The client hired me to give them advice on their software and to implement it.

• Understands that they are the expert with the business

On the other hand, the client knows the details of their business and processes.

• Respects me and my work

Since my client hired me for advice and my expertise, they should respect my work as one aspect of that.

• Plans enough ahead to keep momentum

When I give a client complete focus they are amazed at how much I can get done in a short period of time. Many times I’ve had a client expect to have a few weeks to get the next tasks ready for me and then be surprised that I’m done in a few days. My best clients have a long-term plan and are able to keep me from getting off-task.

Create you Red Velvet Rope policy iteratively

As you can see, I’ve built up my Red Velvet Rope policy over time as I’ve had a good or bad experience with a client. There are other standards I use once a client gets to my new client consultation but they aren’t strictly about my Red Velvet Rope Policy.

You should build a Red Velvet Rope Policy too.

Think back over your past clients or employers you worked for. Write down the things that stand out to you the most, both good and bad.

What you’re looking for are common themes: ones common to your good clients, others common to your bad clients.

Once you find a few, write them down someplace.

Don’t worry about getting them perfect. Your Red Velvet Rope Policy will change over time as you adapt to different clients.

Now you should have a clear picture of your ideal client, what you can do for them, and a policy to filter potential clients. You have enough now to start looking for clients.

Eric Davis