Dealing with difficult clients is the part and parcel of your everyday work. Whether you own a company or work as a freelancer, itâs important to learn the tactics of successful client handling. Here are some tips that can help you maintain cordial relationships with a difficult client.
Always enter into a concrete deal
The most common reason which creates tension between a worker and his client is the absence of concrete terms and conditions. Clients, many a times, add changes to the existing project which you later realize as burdensome. To avoid such conflicts, it is recommended to clarify the project agreements beforehand. Alterations in the existing projects may leave you feeling cheated and dissatisfied. Therefore to be on a safer side, it is better to enter into a written deal, via email or hardcopy, with the client. Especially, if your communication takes place online, it is advisable that you properly save all your chat and email records. In future if you see that any of your clientâs statement belies his earlier one, you may present him the copy of the initial verdict.
Remember, it is also your duty to inform and update your client in the interim, as the work is under progress. Proper communication solves most of the problems. It also adds to the speed of the workflow.
Set and abide by your code of ethics
Mention on your website or company info portfolio, the kind of work you offer. Also make clear the rules and regulations which you expect your clients to follow. It is also important for you to stick to your own rules. The clients should not feel that you follow favoritism as this might stop them from approaching you for work. Sometimes well reputed clients are difficult to handle and it is important you donât make them feel neglected.
Again, by setting your service protocol in advance, you are automatically filtering out those clients who donât meet your standards. The small effort is immensely helpful in saving your time and energy and keeping undesirable clients at bay.
Be in the good books of your clients
A worker with standard ethics is always appreciated by genuine and well instituted clients. So try to build up a strong goodwill and never compromise for a project or two which could stain your reputation in front of other clients. Secondly, before committing to any client on the project you should always cross check the nitty gritty and strike a deal only once you are sure of your capabilities of handling it. If in case you have taken over a project, you see deadline approaching and realize a lot yet needs to be done. In this situation, it is wiser to ask your client for the deadline extension. But, if you turn hostile or incommunicado on the deadline, the client will blacklist you and this step might grievously affect your market reputation.
Conduct a market survey
Payment negotiation is an important issue and needs to be settled beforehand with difficult clients. Smart workers always conduct an advance market research to find out what other clients are paying on similar work. If you are a freelancer, you may check out different sites to find out the current market situation. Or else if you own a company and can afford to hire market research specialists, the step might help to appoint only fair clients.
Sometimes, it happens that you completely engross yourself into the projects taken; you keep on working hard and harder without realizing the client has been exploiting you! A little research might update you about the current market trends and at the same time save stubborn clients from exploiting you.
Make clear your disagreements
Sometimes it may happen that you are already loaded with multiple deadlines and an old client approaches you for his urgent work. You know that doing your old clientâs work will bring you more work in the future. But, leaving the current projects half way to satisfy your known client is just not ethical. In the given situation, you may always ask the client to wait till you accomplish the current projects. If the client really wants you for the work, he will definitely consider your situation. Make sure you do not overburden yourself with projects and come clean on your difficulties. Honest and clear communication is the only way towards successful client worker relationship.
Finally, learn to build a healthy rapport, but also make them feel that even you hold an equal authority on them. Donât downcast your image by succumbing to every demand your client makes. Be humble but assertive in your approach and you will see how the deal with your clients, even the most stubborn ones, works seamlessly.
