About five years ago I took on a client I knew I shouldn't have.

You know how it goes. The negotiations get a bit painful. They seem to be a bit too interested in what happens if things don't go well rather than in discussing how to make sure they do go well.

You just don't get the feeling that they're going to be easy to deal with.

But in the end, they offered a deal with a big upside so against my better judgement I agreed to take on the project.

It went fine at first. But the more time went by, the more difficult it became to get hold of their senior executives. Despite the fact that the success of the plan we were developing was hugely dependent on the leadership of their senior team.

As time went by, actions were left undone, important conference calls just never happened.

Everything kind of fizzled out.

And, of course, the big upside that made the deal look attractive never materialised.

Over the years I've often thought about that project.

I used to think of all the things I could have done to make it work. I could have been more insistent on getting their time. Forced the issue when I saw that it wasn't going to work. Maybe even come up with a strategy that was less reliant on the senior team to make it work.

But eventually, I came to realise that by far the easiest solution would have been simply to avoid the project in the first place.

Projects and clients like this are a huge drain on your time and energy. They distract you from what's important. Cause you to question yourself.

Even if the money looks good, they're NEVER worth it.

Don't screw up like I did. If something feels wrong with a client or project, walk away.

Invest your time and effort in finding clients that are going to be great to work with. Who are going to energise you rather than drain you.

You can use the practical, client-winning strategies I share in Momentum Club.

Or you can develop your own approaches to generating enough leads that you don't have to say yes to every potential client.

Whatever route you go down, save yourself a lot of time, energy and heartache by working only with clients who are perfect for you.