idealmike
Level X3
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Hello all. As you know, the last couple of days, I've been posting a Field Guide to Handling Clients. Since they come in all shapes, sizes and flavours, and sometimes they make strange, outrageous or even unreasonable demands, you might like to know the best way to dealing with and handling these clients. Well this is the last part of the guide for another 5 different types of clients, and how to handle them!
Mrs. I Hate That Color for No Reason!
These kinds of clients have strange fixation on one particular word, font type, color or size in a project and as a result, threaten to bring the whole project to a grinding halt! They are often fixated on the smallest thing that isn't really meaningful compared to the whole project. They can take up a lot of your time just going over the smallest trivial detail and don't see the picture as a whole.
How to deal with them:
Instead of asking them what their favorite color or font type is, ask them what it is they're trying to accomplish exactly. Then tell them that is what you are going to do for them. Display your expertise in what you're doing by recommending options or extras to help them achieve their goals. If they are still unhappy with your suggestions, consider dropping them altogether!
Mrs. Wont This Take 5 Minutes?
Some clients have this belief that they can do what you do, but in a much shorter time frame. They think they can achieve the same work that usually takes about 5 days to complete in just 1 day. They often don't truly appreciate or understand the ins and outs of the work that needs to be carried out.
How to deal with them:
These types of clients are often far detached from reality. The best thing to do is just tell them what it is you'll need to do and why and how what they want isn't going to be able to do done in 5 minutes but will take x amount of time to do so. If they aren't happy with that. Consider dropping them!
Mr/Miss/Mrs Decision By Committee
Sometimes you get clients that are working on behalf of an organization. They've been tasked to get something done but everything they do, is usually decided on by a committee meeting first. Even the smallest things are often decided upon in a meeting first before they go out and look for it.
How to deal with them:
Get them to agree to work with a single contact from that committee first, someone that is responsible for decision making. Otherwise you may be going back and forth endlessly without both agreeing what work should be done. If you can deal with one person directly who's responsible for decision making you'll have a much better chance at getting a comprehensive view on the work that needs to be done.
Mr & Mrs Lurker
These are the clients that disappear for weeks or months on end then suddenly come around and bombard you with messages and questions. You answer them all but then you don't see or hear from them again for weeks or months at a time again. Does that sound familiar?
How to deal with them?
You can't really know when their surprise sneak attacks will happen but you can prepare for it. When they show up asking questions, meet them the same expectations that you have for all clients. So if some project takes 2 weeks for everyone else, it will take 2 weeks for them too.
Mr. What You Did Was Good But Now I Want Something Else Altogether
These are like dream clients until you deliver your work after completing it and then they turn round and say it's great, but I want it to be different and done in a different way. Even though all the work was done as agreed all the way through which can be disheartening and just plain annoying.
How to deal with them:
Be upfront from the start, make it clear to them that additional costs may apply if the extra different work they're asking for is outide of the scope and range of the work for the price that was originally quoted and that they will have to pay for that if they want it done that way.
And that completes my field guide to the wonderful world of clients and how to deal with them! I hope you've found this 3 part series useful in literally knowing how to handle some of the many types of different clients that you will come across in your freelance career!
What other types of difficult clients are there and how do you deal with them?
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TommyCarey
Lmao, this kills me
Or they will say "Well why can't I just do this myself? It's not that difficult!" which my response is usually "Ok, so why did you contact me if you can do it yourself?" lol
People need to realize that the client isn't always right and that the service provider or person selling a product actually knows what is going on better than they do. I really hate the people that purchase a physical product and respond after a day with "Where is my product? I bought it yesterday and paid for next day delivery!" but in reality they purchased at 11:59pm last night and the order didn't get processed until today meaning they won't get it til tomorrow, at the earliest lol.
You just can't fix stupid, and that's sad
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