As a client services coordinator, it is my responsibility to maintain positive relations with any number of clients on a daily basis. As a part of my job, I have to ensure that the work being sent out the door is up to client (and our) expectations, both in quality and in deadline.
And while the expectations inside our agency for producing award-winning work are above average, oftentimes the expectations of our clients far exceed that of our own. Difficult clients and client situations can rise out of any working relationship.
Working at an integrated marketing agency, I have certainly dealt with my fair share of difficult client situations, and I am certain that I will be faced with many more in the future. Not every client is the same and not every situation is the same. Some such characteristics of difficult situations can be, but are certainly not limited to—
- Client demands project turnaround in an unrealistic timeframe
- Client continually changes the specifications of a project
- Client will not trust your decision-making ability
- Client communication—both being over-zealous or making a disappearing act
- Client knowledge—or lack thereof
Based on my own experience and from the advice of others I have constructed a list on how to deal with such difficult client situations.
Set Expectations and Keep Them Consistent— from day one, clients should understand the limitations and boundaries of your working relationship. As a project manager, you should have a clear set of guidelines for project completion most likely in the form of a structured timeline. Allowing clients to realize the amount of time and effort that it will take to complete a project upfront, gives them a more comprehensive insight into the amount of preparation they must allow for each project.
Project timing can include a number of internal (design, copywriting, proofing) and external (vendor relations, production) variables, and timelines vary depending on the type of project. And while all projects cannot be as distinctly thought out as we would like them to be—as projects can spring up last minute—having a basis for understanding of project completion sets the precedent for realistic expectations.
Realize That You Can’t Save Clients From Themselves—one of the most poignant things I have learned while dealing with clients (and people in general) is that you cannot save them from their own decisions. While you can certainly try to convince them that your way is the most effective way, ultimately it is their decision to stretch the “M” in their logo or change the color from red to purple on their brochure. The best we can do as account managers is to guide them authoritatively with the experience and knowledge that we have as to why what we have presented them is best left as it is, or possibly given a few minor revisions. A number of projects have left our doors not meeting our quality expectations because the client insisted on making changes as they saw fit. Understand that they are the client and they want what they want—at some point, regardless of your feelings, you have to give them what they want.
Establish Yourself as an Authority—no client is going to trust your judgment unless they believe that you know what you are doing and have confidence that you have the ability to get the job done. From the sales meeting to project completion, clients must be able to see your confidence, experience and expertise to trust your guidance to market their business or cause. While it seems that everyone is an expert these days, establishing your position as a credible, capable marketing professional will build trust and open communication.
Ensure Regular Communication—while it may not be necessary in all cases, a large portion of success in any relationship is establishing an open line of communication. Regular communication allows for the relationship to grow and strengthen both personally and professionally.
There have been times I have heard new clients say “well, I didn’t want to bother you…” or “I’m sorry to call you, but…” because in a previous business transaction they have been made to feel like their attempts at interaction are bothersome or unwanted. The most important thing that we can do as account managers is to make our client feel heard and understood by us being available and receptive to client feedback, concerns and general insight—after all, they are the client and ultimately the success or failure of the project rests on their shoulders from an internal accountability perspective.
Accountability is also another incredibly important reason to establish regular communication with clients. The bottom line is, when a ball is dropped on a project, the client is likely to place the blame on you—ensuring thorough verbal and written communications allows for an incontestable responsibility of tasks.
Detailed interactions also allows for the development of an outline of the work already completed, as well as work to be completed. In fact, our agency has a weekly requirement for client communications that we have coined the “Friday Memo”. Each account manager is responsible for sending out an end-of-week wrap up to each client that explains what projects were completed, the status of ongoing projects, what projects are coming and who is in charge of each item—these memos act as a system of both accountability and responsibility.
Encourage Face-to-Face Interactions—in the age of digital communication, there is absolutely no substitute for face-to-face client meetings. While e-mails and telephone calls may get the job done short-term, I cannot stress enough the importance of meeting with your clients on a regular basis. Because of busy schedules, there have been countless instances when client projects hit a brick wall with unreturned phone calls and e-mails. The productivity and understanding you and the client receive from a sit down meeting is often more in one hour than has been accomplished in one week of unresponsiveness. Face-to-face meetings are a great way to keep the ball rolling, both on projects and for the business relationship.
Keep Your Cool—one of the most personally challenging, yet overall important aspects of dealing with difficult clients is the ability to keep a level head no matter what the situation. Someone takes one marketing class in their undergrad curriculum and that makes them a marketing expert. Or deadlines are moved up and project specs are changed last-minute. Or you get a phone call once every half hour “just checking in”. There are certainly countless reasons that a client may overstep the boundaries of our tolerance levels, however, one thing remains that they are the client. How we react to these difficult situations will ultimately impact our relationship with that client, but has an incredible potential to impact future client relationships as well. Future business with that client or with other clients could be at stake. As we know, with the age of the Internet, everyone is connected and opinions and experiences can be shared in an instant. Our reactions and interactions with clients have the potential to have either a reputation building or destroying consequence.
Overall, it is vitally important to listen and to respect each and every client—no matter how large or small the account or project—often, the input that you could be dismissing could actually improve your performance and work output by providing constructive feedback.
Learn how to interact where both parties involved get maximum value. Treat every difficult client situation as a learning experience by learning from each other.
Another post on account planning/account management: http://wp.me/pR1gu-5s
