Bad-Client Triage & Firing System

"She wanted the sun and the moon and the stars for 400 bucks." — a freelancer on Quora, describing the client every agency owner knows. If that sentence made you think of a name, this system is for you.

Some clients don't pay you — they cost you. The scope-creep kings. The late payers. The ones who rewrote the brief after delivery. You keep them because firing feels financially terrifying. This system replaces the fear with arithmetic.

The Bad-Client Triage & Firing System is an Excel scorecard that computes the truth per client: your EFFECTIVE hourly rate (fee divided by every hour — worked, revised, and chased), a 0–100 pain score, and an automatic verdict: FIRE, FIX, or KEEP. Then it answers the scary question — "can I afford to fire them?" — by comparing the revenue at risk against your replacement pipeline.

No pep talks. No "communicate better." Just the P&L truth, the 4 behavioral firing signals, and the exact words to exit professionally.

## What's inside (v2.0, 13 files)

- `Client-Profitability-Scorecard.xlsx` — 5-sheet workbook (desktop & web, no macros): Start Here, Register (20 slots, 5 sample clients), Scorecard (automatic FIRE/FIX/KEEP), Affordability (pipeline math + exit verdict), Worked Example (live fictional triage)

- `00-QUICK-START-GUIDE.md` — full onboarding: 15-minute first run, the math, the FIX conversation, the exit, the 30-day re-score

- `WORKED-EXAMPLE.md` — complete FICTIONAL triage (Meridian Design Co): score → verdict → affordability → exit

- `Red-Flag-Inventory.md` — the 4 firing signals with behavioral examples, grounded in a cited Oct 2026 dev.to piece

- `Fire-Fix-Keep-Decision-Matrix.md` — verdict meanings, FIX checklist (5 items), 30-day re-score rule, firing priority

- `Exit-Scripts-and-Handover.md` — termination email, 30-day notice wording, handover checklist, competitor-referral wording

- `FAQ-AND-LIMITS.md` — 12 FAQs + honest limits

- `WHATS-INSIDE.md` + `README.md` — inventory + version history + overview

- `cover.png` + `previews/` — cover and 3 workbook previews

## What's new in v2.0

**Verdict-logic correction:** FIRE now triggers below your walk-away minimum (v1.0 fired below the target rate, which made the walk-away input dead). Plus a live Worked Example sheet, quick-start guide, full worked example, FAQ + limits, inventory. Price unchanged at $29.

## Free sample (try before you buy)

Read the free sample — the core math, one scored FICTIONAL client, the 4 firing signals:

https://github.com/fexo9/bad-client-triage-system/blob/main/FREE-SAMPLE-Bad-Client-Triage.md

## Demo video

72-second walkthrough of the real v2.0 files:

https://youtu.be/LhR08EeiAUk

## FAQ (product-specific)

1. **Does it guarantee firing the right clients?** No. A decision tool, not a guarantee. It calculates from YOUR numbers.

2. **What is the effective hourly rate?** Fee ÷ (hours worked + revision hours + admin/chasing hours).

3. **Why did v2.0 change the FIRE rule?** v1.0 fired below the target rate, making walk-away dead. v2.0: FIRE below walk-away minimum, FIX below target.

4. **Profitable but painful?** Pain ≥ 70 triggers FIRE even at a good rate; 45–69 triggers FIX.

5. **Coverage says NOT YET?** Build pipeline before firing. FIX the worst client meanwhile; re-score in 30 days.

6. **Exit scripts = legal advice?** No. Professional templates. Attorney review for high-value contracts.

## Honest limits

- Not a profit guarantee. It calculates from your inputs.

- Pipeline math uses YOUR close-rate estimate — be conservative. It cannot predict the future.

- Exit scripts are professional templates, not legal advice.

- Pain score is a weighted index (40% revision + 30% late-payment + 30% admin), not a psychological measurement.

- Sample and worked-example data are fictional. Defaults are examples only.

- No sales, review, or testimonial claims. No guaranteed-outcome claims.

- Excel-first; Google Sheets "opens and calculates," not pixel-perfect.

- Register capacity: 20 client slots.

## Details

- Price: $29 one-time. Commercial license.

- Format: ZIP (13 files: workbook + docs + cover + previews). Excel desktop & web; no macros.

- Version: v2.0 (2026-10-17). Changelog: verdict-logic correction, Worked Example sheet, quick-start guide, worked example, FAQ + limits, inventory. Price unchanged.