I’ve been in one of those reflective moods lately. My youngest just started college over 700 miles from home, and my wife and I miss her like crazy. My time on the Executive Committee of CASE ended this year. And 2024 was my 30th year at DeStefano & Chamberlain (yes, I started as an intern). It’s been a bittersweet year of wanting to slow down the clock.
We take on about 150 projects a year with our firm of seven. I guess that’s about 4,500 projects in three decades. I enjoy scrolling our job list from time to time to remember the good clients, the not so good clients, and the learning experiences along the way.
Clients are sort of like characters in a Seinfeld episode. Here are few characters that stand out to me—maybe some sound familiar:
- The One and Done—Some clients will only hire a structural engineer one time in their lives. A homeowner building their dream home will probably not build another dream home in the foreseeable future. Not much prospect for a long-term relationship if there will be no other projects.
- The Quick Payer—From time to time, you find a gem of a client who pays invoices within a few days of receipt. The best payers get the best service, so we give priority to these clients and do everything we can to keep them happy.
- The Slow Payer—Any client that takes more than 30 days to pay an invoice. My electrician friend follows every invoice with a call asking when he can pick up his check. Try getting the brakes fixed on your car without paying when you pick it up. As a profession we need to politely demand promptness like the rest of the civilized world.
- The Bad Payer—Any client that is consistently over 90 days to pay an invoice. At that point, whether you like it or not, you are helping to finance their project for them.
- The Non-Payer—Once in a blue moon, a “one and done” client doesn’t pay … at all … ever. Sometimes with an excuse complaining about your work, but sometimes they just ghost you.
- The I’ll Pay You When I Get Paid—This is most architects; they wait to be paid by their client in order to turn around and pay us. Some take this sport to an extreme, and won’t send us a retainer until they’ve gotten that money from their client too.
- The Start Up—Some relationships start off great. The client has lots of enthusiasm and are quick to sign a proposal. But then the relationship sort of peters out. The other work promised fails to materialize. They turn into a slow payer (or bad payer).
- The Shopper—We have certain architects or developers who appear every few years when the groundhog sees its shadow asking for a proposal for a new project. They never hire us, but just like to shop around and keep whomever they normally work with honest. One has been asking for proposals every five years or so, for about 20 years now.
- The Honest Abe—I had an association request a proposal to evaluate a bridge. Not only did they divulge they were seeking multiple proposals, they also reminded me they didn’t hire us for the same study previously because they were shopping around back then too.
- The Risk Taker—Sometimes a client’s appetite for taking chances doesn’t match yours. An Architect who won’t listen when you explain why their vision has structural problems. Or the design doesn’t match the budget. Better yet, you’re being told “not to worry” about aspects of the design that clearly don’t work because the code official allegedly said it was “ok.” Those are the clients who will inevitably get you in trouble and should be shed like a bad habit.
- The Hangers On—Some clients you just can’t seem to get rid of. They keep coming back with lousy projects or impossible deadlines or budget fee requests. There are many reasons you want them to go away but can’t quite bring yourself to tell them off for good. Maybe because you will cross paths with them again and want to stay on good terms. Which leads to the next group…
- The Ones You Fire—Nothing feels as good as getting rid of a really bad client. It’s like a breath of fresh air when they are gone. There are different ways to handle this group. Often, it’s a soft landing with a “sorry we’re just too busy.” In rare instances though, we are just honest and tell them to find another structural engineer because we’re done.
- The Lifers—I had to save the best for last. Clients who, after working with you, ONLY want to work with you, and never want to work with another structural engineer again. You’re their go to. And you love working on their projects, they aren’t tortured or stressful. They know how to herd cats. They listen to your advice, and you appreciate what they bring to the table. Those are the client relationships to spend your time on. Those are the clients who make you glad you became a structural engineer. Yes—they do exist! ■
About the Author
Kevin H. Chamberlain is the CEO and Principal of DeStefano & Chamberlain, Inc. in Fairfield, CT, and a Past Chair of CASE. (kevinc@dcstructural.com)