As much as I would like all of my clients to be with me for the rest of time, the fact is that the end of our relationship has to come. So many times, it’s the healthy next step.

Why? Their needs have changed or I have changed. Or a million other things may have happened. We don’t fit together anymore. And there’s nothing wrong with that. Life is all about change and that includes clients.

So how do you deal with that change? Let’s talk about it.

Look for the signs

The key to ending a relationship with a client well is knowing it is going to happen before it does.

I’ve had clients put social media tasks in job descriptions they’ve wanted me to advertise on social media. That’s a pretty big sign that it’s time to depart. I’ve had clients all of a sudden become extremely hard to please. Or they’ve taken me out of big conversations that affect social media. If anything like that is happening, it’s time to get ready for the end.

Or sometimes I see the signs in me that it’s time to leave. I wouldn’t put anything we’ve done in a portfolio to show to potential clients. The working relationship is giving me more headaches than wins. Or it just doesn’t feel like a healthy situation for me anymore. If I feel like this more days than not, I start the process of ending our relationship.

Being ready for the end makes you more prepared for when that conversation happens and you are more likely to leave on a good note. And that’s great for the future. I’ve had several clients who we’ve ended that working relationship, but they’re still sending me work. It is because I was prepared when that end came.

Double check those signs

I’m mostly putting this here for me, but maybe a few of you can benefit from this reminder: Just because things are hard does not mean that it’s the end of the relationship. So double check what you think might be the signs.

Could more communication help these problems? To be honest, this is usually what happens with most of my clients who I am convinced are about to fire me. We end up committing to communicate with each other more and everything straightens itself out. So if this client is important to you either financially or emotionally, have that conversation and see if it’s salvageable.

Prepare for the end

The first thing you need to do is revisit your contract. According to your contract, what should the end look like? How much notice is required? What assets do you need to hand over? What do you need to prepare to hand over? I would start the process of getting it all together as soon as you think the end is near. That way you can do it bit by bit instead of all of it at once. Trust me, this will be a slog to do no atter your feelings about the client. So getting started early and doing it in tiny parts will save your sanity.

And having all of this information at your fingertips when the ultimate conversation happens makes it easier to make the exit plan in the moment. Then everyone leaves that conversation knowing what the goals are and what their responsibilities are to reach that goal. It will make the transition go so much smoother to have that plan in place sooner rather than later.

Fulfill your obligations

The number one way to make sure things don’t go sour is to make sure you do what you signed up to do. Get everything to the client in a timely manner to close out the contract. And do it with a good attitude. In most cases, this is easy for me, because it really was time for me to move on and I really do wish them well.

For a client who has been great during our working relationship, I’ll even go above and beyond. When one of my favorite clients needed to bring in an extra set of hands into the office and didn’t have the budget for me as well, I created a whole handbook on how I did what I did, so that no matter who they hired, they’d have a guide to get them going fast. It was far above what they had in their contract, and later on, they ended up sending me two clients who signed with me. This is one of the few times where it paid to go far above what was in the contract. Whether it is worth it for your business is totally up to you.

End on a good note

It may seem like a good time to slow down on the kind of work you do when you are marching toward the end. But it might be an even better idea to do some of your best work. Keep your numbers up, and make sure your posts are still interesting and relevant.

Why? First off, this is what you’re getting paid to do. But secondly, things happen. If a client has to let you go for a reason beyond their control and they are unable to keep their numbers at your level, there’s a chance you could be asked to come back (this has happened to me). And they will also be grateful that they don’t have a numbers dip which will make them more likely to recommend you to potential clients in the future.

When a client lets you go, burning bridges can sometimes feel like the best move. But if you keep things professional and give them what they need to succeed in a future that doesn’t include you, you are much more likely to get new clients from them and have a busy business in your future. So really, an end can be the beginning to something much better for the both of you.

How do you make sure you have a good ending with your clients?