The relationship with the client sometimes similar to the relationship of an elderly couple – cursing, confusion, jitters. The client may not know what she wants, but she certainly knows what she doesn’t want – and it’s probably everything you’re proposing. If you often have to deal with customers, then you know what I mean. Every account manager, designer and, maybe, you, has “exactly that” client – the one who take all your time, unnerves the staff, and makes foolish and ridiculous demands, but the client is always right, right? It can be Mr. I Need This Done Yesterday, Mr. Everything’s an Emergency or Mrs. What You Did Was Great, But We Now Want Something Completely Different – every problematic client has its own type and “care rules”. One client really believes that he/she can do what you do in a much shorter time frame than is possible, another sending you emails at 3 a.m. every day, scheduling meetings for after business hours and then wondering why you didn’t complete that project on Christmas Day. It sounds familiar? Duh, I know.
What to do if you have two, three or even four problematic clients? It’s tough to please everyone, but if you know the types of personalities you’re working with, you’ll be better prepared to have a happy client, pleased staff… and healthy nerves.
If you still have not met your client problematic – do not worry, it may already waiting for you outside the door of your office.
Here are a few tips to recognize when you’ve got one of these challenges on your hands and how to deal with them. We have decided to allocate 15 major types of problem clients and put them on one infographic. This infographic includes some keys how to identify your client type and how to deal with it – care and feeding instructions.
