When my freelance writing colleagues and I gossip about PITAs, we’re not talking about carbohydrate cravings. We’re referring to clients who are, politely put, pains in the rear end.

Freelance writers aren’t the only ones who have PITA clients. We all have them. But some have more than others. And when the customers you have aren’t the ones you want, your entire business can seem like a bad idea.

How I Learned This the Hard Way

When I first started selling my own writing services, I didn’t care about the type of customers I attracted. I just wanted customers, and lots of ’em. So what if not all customers were ideal? They still represented a paycheck – and more money, to me, meant more financial freedom.

Many small business owners – especially service providers – market solely to other small business owners. I was no exception. I didn’t see myself worthy of companies with big budgets, so I targeted the little guys.

I told myself I was doing it out of a sense of kinship. “These people are just like me,” I thought. “I’m going to help them out.”

Lots of Customers Doesn’t Equal Success

Unfortunately, the small business owners I targeted rarely had the budget to hire a freelance writer. And when they did, they didn’t understand the value of my service. As a result, I marketed myself like crazy to win tiny, one-off projects that came with hours of unpaid guidance.

Burned out and broke, I finally asked a business counselor for help. He taught me that if I wanted to succeed, I needed to find customers with bigger budgets and long-term needs.

“Why exhaust yourself working for business owners who don’t intend to hire you a second time?” he asked. “Focus your marketing efforts on building relationships with advertising agencies. They’ll provide a steady workflow, and require less handholding.”

I took his advice, and business picked up. My marketing became more effective, too.

Speaking with colleagues, I later learned that many have struggled with the same problem. Like me, freelance writer Sarah Mauer had to learn the hard way.

“If you take on clients who don’t match your financial goals, it’s really not fair to you or to them,” she wrote me in an email. “Several low-paying jobs have kept me working harder than I’d like all summer. No more! My goal for next summer is to make my hourly with every client so I can work less and do more of what I enjoy.”

Are Low Budgets Bad News?

Attracting better clients doesn’t mean shunning people with low budgets. But you need to consider what budgets best suit your business.

If you sell e-books and online classes that virtually run themselves, you can afford to price your products low because they don’t require a lot of maintenance. But if you’re selling handmade jewelry with lots of intricate detail, you need customers who appreciate your work, and can pay what it’s worth.

Finding Your Just-Right Customers

The following questions can help you find a target market that truly meets your goals:

• What’s the typical budget for your clients?

• Be honest: can this budget help meet your financial goals?

• If not, what changes can you make in your current marketing and branding to attract more lucrative clients?

• What new products or services could you offer that still bring in money but lessen your
workload?

By keeping these questions in mind as you market your business, you can spend less time worrying about PITA clients, and more time doing work you love.

How do you avoid PITA customers? Let me know in the comments section below.