Good Client / Bad Client
Good clients:
- have a solid understanding of the project and can communicate that understanding in a clear, succinct way.
- discuss money early on.
- actively listen and provide clear, timely feedback.
- pay on time.
Many designers complain about bad clients, but the question we should all be asking ourselves is: What have I done to properly train my client?
Designers need to set their expectations up front. Work requires payment, it’s as simple as that. In my own experience, providing a contract that lists the scope of work and compensation does wonders for weeding out potential bad clients. With the scope of work, deadlines, and payment clearly established, both the client and the designer can focus on the task at hand. Be wary of vague / changing project descriptions, payment ambiguity and dodgy communication. Those are tell-tale signs you are dealing with a bad client.
Designers should be proactive with communication – if something is not clear, or needs clarification – don’t wait – ASK. Given that bulk of my work comes in via the Internet, I want my clients to know that, hey, I’m a real human – not some faceless email address. Something I’ve gotten into the habit of doing is actually talking to my clients on the phone. There’s less chance of miscommunication or back-n-forth when I’m speaking directly with the client.
For local clients, I set up a meeting at a coffee shop. In this way, we can build rapport. Directly engaging with clients whenever possible has not only helped the design process go smoothly, it has actually lead to repeat business and referrals. Phone calls and face-to-face meetings can be used to build a relationship, but the only clear way to build trust is by delivering on what you promise.
Are you a client? Do you design for clients? What have your experiences been like? I welcome your thoughts on the matter.
-Krishna
Jake Eskel
April 13, 2014 at 1:08 pmWould you say this holds true for software development as well?
Krishna M. Sadasivam
April 13, 2014 at 5:58 pmYep. I would imagine it would.
Vaneese Smart
April 13, 2014 at 1:42 pmI know you have heard about my bad client story. Even though the client was very arrogant, stubborn, rude and overly pushy I was at fault for not having a written contract. Without a contract gave the client full advantage to be very vague with me on the amount of work needed on the project and adding more load and changes throughout the course, even though we spoke on the phone. If the project description was more clear from the start, I would not have accepted the job as it was too much for the computer i had at the time could handle. He wanted results you would expect from an well- established studio and pay just peanuts for it.
It was a nightmare because he tried to brought the subject of race saying he only hired me because I was a black woman, he said he could of hired someone with better qualifications but he was doing me the favour of giving me this awesome opportunity. He also tried to control how I handled the payment he was to give me so I don’t spend it on the computer I was trying to build myself. Also he was not a good listener, for someone that never touched a 3D program he thought he knew alot more than I do and shut down any problem solving I suggested which dragged out the project longer than it needed.
When he contacted me a year later offering me paid work. I tried to deal with him properly by firmly requesting to fully clarify the project description and setting up a written contract with him. After finally agreeing to the payment he went back to his old ways of being vague about the project and adding more work. The work he wanted was great quality but low priced again. The project ended up being something I couldn’t do in the timeframe and not at the price its worth so I had to drop out. He tried to convince me for 2 days to accept the job but I wasn’t budging. I blocked his email and number after that.
Sorry for the long message Krishna
Krishna M. Sadasivam
April 13, 2014 at 6:46 pmSometimes we have to fire our clients. Glad you moved past this, Vaneese!