Need some advice. I landed what I thought was my first real client — a small industrial plant in Birmingham on Alabama Power. Two weeks into the audit, the owner called and said he's terminating the engagement. His reason: I hadn't found anything yet and he expected results faster. What did I do wrong?
First client fired me after 2 weeks — what went wrong?
Sorry to hear that — it stings. But this happens to everyone at least once. Don't beat yourself up over it.
You didn't set expectations upfront. The client expected quick results because nobody told him the process takes 4-8 weeks. Before you sign an engagement, always walk the client through the timeline: week 1-2, we collect billing data and LOAs. Week 3-4, we analyze the data. Week 5-6, we present findings. I include a "Process & Timeline" section in every engagement letter specifically to prevent this.
Derek is right about expectations. I'd also add: give the client progress updates even when you haven't found anything yet. A quick email at the end of week 1 saying "I've collected 36 months of billing history and I'm beginning the analysis" costs you 2 minutes and keeps the client engaged. Silence makes clients nervous.
This is a common early-career lesson and it's not a reflection of your audit skills — it's a communication issue. Going forward, build three things into every engagement: a written timeline in the engagement letter, a kickoff call where you explain the process verbally, and weekly progress updates. Clients who feel informed and included almost never terminate early.
Makes perfect sense. I didn't have any of those communication touchpoints. Going to rebuild my process before I approach my next client. Expensive lesson but I won't make this mistake again.
We've all been there. My first client ghosted me for three weeks and I thought I'd lost them too. You'll be fine — the fact that you're asking what went wrong means you'll get better.