"There is no possible way I can take on a client relationship for $75 a year," said Mr. Armstrong, the president of Managed Account Services, whose clients typically have at least $1 million to invest.
" 'And you can't dress like a hooker anymore.' " Neilson insists that he would never take on a client who was interested solely in a public-relations face-lift.
Hardin, too, has suffered, with any number of legal experts contending that he took on a client with little criminal exposure and now finds him facing charges that could put him in prison for more than a year.
For example, Wes McDowell, who owns The Deep End, a graphic design firm, said he probably would not take on a client who told him he had worked with several other designers and wasn't satisfied with any.
Also, I feel like if we take on a client in general, regardless of the compensation structure, it sort of has a positive appearance [to outsiders].
will only take on a client if stock options are part of the deal), buildings to inhabit (many of Silicon Valley's most successful real estate developers have made a habit of exchanging rent for stock options), and consulting services.
A good PR firm will not take on a client that may be a conflict of interest with another.
Just as their romance begins to burgeon, Eva takes on a new client, Marianne Catherine Keenerr), an acclaimed poet with a lovely house and an enviable lack of cellulite.
"I am trying to simulate exactly what would happen if a P.R. agency takes on a new client in a new market and must start from scratch," he said.
This isn't the first time Davis has taken on a troubling client.
