We all have them. The clients who are so distinct in their personalities; in their tastes, and opinions, that we can sniff them out just by looking at them. But then there are those that are much more subtle. Who seem to be an easy walk in the park type of client, and turn into the most difficult, demanding one you’ve ever had. Sound familiar? Well, if it doesn’t, here’s a guide to the most common types of clients and how you should approach them. Knowing this will help save you time, and effort, as well as conserving your brand from a possibly nasty review:
1. Mr. “I Need This Done Yesterday”: Generally, these types lack time awareness and assume their larger than life ideas should be easy for you because after all, you are the ‘expert’.
Solution: Be straight forward-If you tell them upfront what you can and cannot accomplish, then their expectations will become more realistic.
2. Mr. “Never Stops Working .Never.”: These types seem to never sleep! You receive emails at 3am, calls early Saturday morning, and expected you to work Christmas Day.
Solution: Set firm guidelines. Make it clear in your agreement what your hours of operations are; do not respond to them outside of those hours. They’ll get the hint. Eventually.
3. Mr. “Where’d He Go? Here I Am!”: You don’t hear from your client for days, or weeks, or months. You’re given a deadline, but you can’t finish it because of their lack of communication. Once they do respond, it’s with a bombardment of requests and a deep desire to have it all done by tomorrow.
Solution: Be prepared. Set expectations for all your clients. If your process takes a week for one, then it’s a week for all. Stand firm on your expectations, and he’ll fall in line as well.
4. Mrs. “Group Meeting”: This client can’t make any decisions on anything without conferring with her ‘people’. It could be her family, or her team at work, regardless, not even a minor decision can be made without a group meeting, leaving you with a huge time suck of a project.
Solution: Force them to have one contact person and make your deadline clear. This person will have the best view of the scope of your project, and will help keep everyone in line.
5. Mr. “I Changed My Mind”: Oh, these are fun! They’re a dream client until you’re done with your project, then they decide they want to go in a different direction entirely.
Solution: Make it clear in the beginning that any changes will incur additional costs if what they are asking for is above and beyond the scope of the original project.
*Have you encountered these types of clients and want to know how to make your website and your business more clear and succinct to avoid these types of scenarios? Contact me for a personalized consultation!