Uncooperative Client!

Hi,

Yeah, these posts show up on Google.

As for your question: You need to tell your client YOU'RE the expert ... not her daughter.

Tell her any interference with the campaign you're running can screw up the results.

Also, if she insists on changing your email subject lines, ask her to split test hers and yours. If yours does better, she'll probably stop trying to change them.

Sometimes you feel like you desperately need a client. But you have to draw the line somewhere, or you'll get trampled on.

-Nick

They want to be involved in the communication with their customers and prospects. That's an incredibly good thing.

I would not suppress their desires to do that.

I would encourage more of it. I would encourage it by offering targeted training in the specific aspects they want to be involved in to get the best yield for their efforts. Get a training product for them or bring another face into the picture to do the training.

In other words, you don't have to tell them what they're doing wrong in order get them to adopt better ways of communicating with their market.

- Rick Duris

I'm glad I joined this forum, thank you Nick and Rick! Great suggestions!

It's hard to say for sure since we don't have all of the details, but I would either explain to them that if they want to be involved, then they shouldn't be surprised when they results are less then they expected. If they want the best results for their money, then they need to just let you handle everything. If they are not fine with that, then move on to someone who is.

I guess you need to her as a reference on your upcoming digs into that niche. If so, you will probably NOT profit from allowing the client too much elbowroom (since she is doing it wrong). If the performance is weak, that is all your connection to that job will show. Either live with it and accept the cash, or take control (in a smart and client face-saving way of course). Often, all you need with this type of client is not statistics, techniques, nor marketing savvy, often what they want to hear is "I will make you glorious" and "Only I can make you so"

Good question, Nick. I think it's a matter of positioning and diplomacy.

While it may feel good in the moment AND you're ultimately looking out for the Client's best and highest interests, the "my way or the highway" approach is rarely effective.

While the client may acquiesce short term, they'll resent it long term. The relationship could sustain permanent damage. And that will compromise long term efforts to focus on the niche.

- Rick Duris

I've found in my own experience that when clients change the
work you pass over to them they either don't understand the
nature of what you do and if they do they don't respect your
professional opinions.

If I think that I could change the work a writer does for me
then I think that I can improve it and what does that say
about the work?

You have to inquire as to why the changes are made and
decide how you want to move on from there.

-Ray Edwards

Well guys, I really appreciate all the suggestions, excellent stuff!

I did speak with her and I finally asked WHY she was changing the subject lines?

She told me she felt my lines didn't have enough information, she felt people needed more information to open the emails, I told her the opposite was true in her case, we want to REEL THEM IN, not lose a number of readers because they feel they already know what's inside!

Anyway, after explaining to her specifically why I wrote the damn lines in the first place I think she finally got it!

We also had a chat about her daughter posting on the Facebook page I'M SUPPOSED TO BE RUNNING! I was very delicate here and lied that her daughter's posts were fine, but that we needed CONSISTENCY on the page, and that I was afraid that allowing anyone else to post as admin without my knowledge might hamper progress, mess up the rhythm of the campaign, confuse things....

She agreed!

Going with Rick's suggestion, I also taught her some things about writing TITLES and SUBJECT LINES, but she's not really interested in learning any of it, she just thought she knew better.

I added that if her daughter was interested in copywriting, that I could sit with her, go over some tips and things, point her in the right direction.

If this pans out, I want commission for sending her YOUR WAY! Highest commission WINS!

Congratulations, Alex! I'm glad things were able to work out for the better (and I hope they stay that way). Kudos on being so diplomatic, as well.

I agree with the more sensitive approach. Because she is going to be sensitive about her daughter :/

Try not to offend her, but at the end of the day you are the expert and her daughter is not, so the choice is obvious. I would be more direct.

Sounds like you handled it very well, and a pleasing outcome for both parties. It may be worth noting that forming a personal relationship, or coaching, with a client can turn it more into a friendship than business - which is a good thing when it comes to referral time, just be careful of clingy or over demanding people!