Advanced Client Relations --- "I hate it!"

“I kinda hate it, arrghh!”

That’s what a client said to me yesterday about some direct response graphic design work myself and a designer had been collaborating on for the prior couple hours.

The sales copy had been approved but the all-important design hung in the balance.

So what do you do when a client tells you “I hate it” or something similar?

(I'll tell you below how I avoid ever getting this reaction to my sales copy.)

The thought that runs through your head may be “Oh crap.” But let that thought pass. Because when a client expresses across-the-board displeasure... they often times are reacting to a few small things they notice right away that don’t hit ‘em right.

Things that are actually easily fixable with a little thought and collaboration.

So… respect their right to have strong opinions and give them full permission to vent…

“It’s fine that you hate it. This is all part of the process. Tell me what’s not quite right yet and we’ll come up with fixes so we can move forward.”

Then you shut up and let them go, asking for increasing clarity with each point raised.

(BTW… often clients raise extremely valid points about their marketing. They live and breathe their niche 24/7… you may just be dipping in and out.)

Now… if you come to any point of theirs you think will be a detriment to conversion, you enter the stage of “best reason why wins.”

You give your reason why you think your approach is best…

“Well, the thinking behind that is [reason why I think it will convert better]. Gimme your thoughts on that.”

And they might say “Oh okay”… or they may come back with a “reason why” you should go a different direction that trumps your own. (If you are humble enough to admit it to yourself for the good of the project.) In which case, their approach wins out. And you concede victory.

Compromise is not a dirty word. If you are sure you are right about your approach but your client won't accept your "reason why"... then you either offer a smart compromise... or you take ownership of your ineptitude in failing to convince your client why your approach is better.

I like working with smart folk who know their niche extremely well. We move towards success together with complementary skill sets. It’s not a traditional, at each other’s throat, client, vendor relationship. It’s a WE thing. If they have a great counter-idea to my own, I just celebrate that once again I’m working with a savvy cat.

In keeping with this, I frequently invite my clients to articulate their opinions as a project progresses. That way they are onboard with the finished product. And it makes them highly unlikely to change anything you write after the fact. And it's how you avoid "I hate this" moments when you send sales copy to clients.

Bottom-line: if a client ever expresses anything less than delight about your work… STAY CALM... don’t get defensive and precious about your words and effort. Politely clarify exactly what their concerns are (they're usually few if you're any good) and then collaborate to quickly find solutions.

WARNING: happy clients and consistent results may ensue!

--- Ross