How to Work With Difficult Clients
6 points to follow
What was my inspiration for this article? It’s pretty obvious, I encountered a client that frustrated the life out of me some days back, so this article is a therapy for me and a guide for you.
As a freelancer, you’d always come across difficult clients. Trying to avoid them is almost impossible because nobody has a “difficult client” sign boldly written beside their name. You find out they’re difficult when you’ve gotten the contract, and maybe when you turn in the first draft — then you can now tell. Asides that, it’s almost impossible to tell.
Here are some clients you’ll meet in your freelancing journey:
The ones who know a lot about your job (even more than you): No matter what you do, you cannot satisfy these people. They’re better off doing the job themselves, but somehow, you were unlucky enough to get hired by them. So, you never hear the end of their complaints. There’s always something you’re not doing well. These are the people who reject your whole draft and tell you to go in another direction altogether.
The one who wants everything done in 24 hours: These types of clients don’t respect your time. They don’t acknowledge the fact that you have other jobs to do — they want everything done quickly and would complain if you don’t produce high-quality work in that short period.
The ones who take forever to reply: This could be because they’re too busy or they have to consult other people in their office. But usually, they never respond on time — and it’s frustrating.
The ones who ask for everything with a tiny budget: Their favorite word is “it’s just a simple task” But when you get the brief and see their budget for the project, you’d be surprised. If you complain about the price, they will give you the “we’d increase your pay as time goes on.”
Spoiler alert: you’d never hear from them again after the first job.
You’ll see lots of clients like these, and even more, but you have the option to fire them or work with them. In a situation where you have to work with them, here are some steps to take.
Follow their Instructions
Yes, sometimes it can be a bit frustrating when you know what the client wants won’t provide the best results, but they keep demanding that you do it their way. In that situation, it’s best just to do exactly what they say, to satisfy them.
If you’ve shown them a better step to follow and they don’t acknowledge it, you should forget about it and go on with what they say. In the end, they are the ones paying you, so they call the shots.
Do exactly what they say because they would quickly point it out when you turn in the project.
Ask lots of questions.
Strive to get as many details as possible. Some clients don’t know what they want until you send in your first draft, and all of a sudden, they become experts and want to jump on a quick call to add more details or to give you a new direction to follow.
So it’s best to ask lots of questions at the initial stage. Answer questions with questions. The point of this is to keep them talking. Let it be more of a monologue. This would ensure that you tick all the boxes.
Put away your emotions.
It’s tough working with people. You can spend countless hours on a project, and when the client gets it, he says it wasn’t what he asked for even after following his directions to the letter.
It is easy to lash out at the client, but that’s not professional in any way. You should always remain calm and professional. Let the client know that you followed everything he mentioned in his brief. If he still insists, make the necessary corrections — this can be annoying, but what would you do?
Respond to all issues quickly
When a client has a problem, the best thing is to reply to them ASAP, waiting for too long can cause the client to get even more restless.
And when you respond, make sure you solve their problems quickly too, so you can get it over with.
Don’t Argue
It can become so frustrating that you would feel like exchanging words with them because you disagree with a comment done or your work, but you should avoid arguments like the plague because of the dent it can leave on your reputation.
You don’t have to agree with them, but just acknowledge what they’ve said and move on. It’s simple.
Fire them
Unless you like being frustrated, you should just cut your losses and go your way. Some people are horrible. They don’t have the proper managerial skills. You should understand that peace is more important than money. If a client is too difficult, you should leave.
Sometimes, your guts tell you a lot about people. You can feel it when a client is going to be trouble. Trust your gut, and you’ll be fine.
Thank you for reading
