![\"How](\"https:\/\/www.teamly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/How-to-Deal-with-Difficult-Clients.png\")
<\/p>\nDealing with difficult clients is no fun. Not only can they make your work hours miserable, but their behavior can also take up mental space in your off-hours too \u2026 leaving you cranky, stressed out, and feeling put-upon, long after your workday has come to an end.<\/p>\n
Fortunately, there is hope–once you know how to handle these demanding individuals. To help you accomplish that, we\u2019ve identified the 10 most common types of difficult clients you\u2019re likely to run into and what to do when you encounter one of them.<\/p>\n
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To an \u201cAlways an Emergency\u201d Edward, every project is critical and needs to be completed yesterday. This client expects to be your top priority 100% of the time, even though he\u2019s well aware you have other clients.<\/p>\n
While \u201cAlways an Emergency\u201d Edwards are challenging, the good news is that there is a solution, and that is not to overpromise. Instead, only agree to what you can reasonably deliver.<\/p>\n
If you don\u2019t, the Edwards of the world will continue to expect you to work weekends and late into the evening tending to their last-minute \u201cemergencies\u201d forevermore.<\/p>\n
However, after you start setting firm boundaries and stop bending over backward to meet every last-minute request, an Edward will realize that if there\u2019s something important he needs to have done, he better give you more notice upfront \u2026 and guaranteed, once he grasps that an emergency on his part doesn\u2019t constitute an emergency on yours, he\u2019ll do a much better job anticipating his work needs.<\/p>\n
Penny-Pinching Paulas are on a tight budget and have little financial breathing room, should the project\u2019s cost exceed their expectations \u2026 which is why when you encounter a penny pincher, you\u2019ll want to be very clear about the scope of the project, as well as its cost.<\/p>\n
For instance, if you\u2019re doing hourly work for a Penny-Pinching Paula, give an estimate on the higher end, so she has a full understanding of what the work could potentially cost her.<\/p>\n
If the project\u2019s a large one that\u2019s more challenging to estimate, consider breaking it down into milestones and estimating your effort per milestone.<\/p>\n
By contrast, if you\u2019re doing fixed-price work for a penny pincher, make sure you\u2019re very clear about what they\u2019ll get for their money before you even start work–for instance, two revisions, rather than endless revisions until they\u2019re completely satisfied.<\/p>\n
Bottom Line? While you can\u2019t do anything to improve a Penny-Pinching Paula\u2019s budget, you can provide her with a realistic idea of what the project\u2019s likely to cost, while making sure she doesn\u2019t tack on extras that are outside the scope of the project.<\/p>\n
![\"\u201cNot](\"https:\/\/www.teamly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Not-This-Nate.png\")
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A \u201cNot This\u201d Nate can\u2019t tell you what he wants, he only knows that he doesn\u2019t like what you delivered–a scenario that\u2019s especially frustrating when you put a lot of time and effort into producing great work.<\/p>\n
Worse, when you get a \u201cNot This\u201d Nate\u2019s negative feedback, you often have no idea what direction to go in next. If he didn\u2019t like work you were really proud of, what will he like?<\/p>\n
The solution to working with a \u201cNot This\u201d Nate is to ask for examples of work that he does like, and then put your detective cap on by asking questions, like, \u201cWhat is it about this work that you appreciate?\u201d and \u201cIn what ways would you like the work I create for you to be similar?\u201d<\/p>\n
By asking the right questions, you can get a better sense of what your client is looking for and modify the work to their liking. However, if you still can\u2019t get on the same page, there is some good news.<\/p>\n
A \u201cNot This\u201d Nate will often assume you\u2019re the problem, rather than his own lack of clarity. So, if you really struggle to make a Nate happy, he probably isn\u2019t going to rehire you, freeing up your time to work with better, easier clients!<\/p>\n
A \u201cScope Creep\u201d Sally tries to maximize the amount of work she gets out of you by continually adding extras to her initial project request–which is aggravating enough on its own, but even more so if you\u2019re working for a fixed-price or have a tight turnaround.<\/p>\n
The best way to deal with a \u201cScope Creep\u201d Sally is to detail specifically in writing what the project deliverables are and which items are out of scope, so there\u2019s no confusion.<\/p>\n
You also want to make it clear to a Sally that should the scope be revised after you\u2019ve already started the project, there\u2019ll be additional costs and a revised timeline.<\/p>\n
![\"Airhead](\"https:\/\/www.teamly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Airhead-Al.png\")
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An Airhead Al has his head in the clouds. Perhaps he\u2019s juggling too many projects or maybe he\u2019s just organizationally challenged, but whatever the reason, Airhead Al doesn\u2019t give you critical information.<\/p>\n
For instance, a client like this might hire you to design a landing page and tell you there\u2019s no deadline, but then two weeks later mention that the page needs to be finished right away because oops, he forgot to mention that it\u2019s for his webinar\u2026 which is next week.<\/p>\n
While you can\u2019t cure clients of their flightiness, you can head off frustration by making sure you never assume anything when you\u2019re dealing with them. So, pin an Airhead Al down, ask questions, request more detail–in short, never surmise that you have all the key information.<\/p>\n
Although Airhead Als might not remember to share important details on their own, you can typically uncover all the relevant information by asking good follow-up questions.<\/p>\n
If you\u2019ve been dealing with clients for a while, you\u2019ve probably already come across an \u201cIt Won\u2019t Take Long\u201d Laura. You know the type \u2026 this is the client who tries to convince you that a project won\u2019t take very long at all–when you happen to know otherwise.<\/p>\n
In cases like these, it\u2019s best to stick to your guns (i.e., your original estimate), rather than to agree to something you suspect you won\u2019t be able to accomplish. After all, it\u2019s far better to be honest about what you believe is involved than to later look unprofessional, because you agreed to a cost (or deadline) that you couldn\u2019t meet.<\/p>\n
You can always tell a Laura that if you start the work and find that it\u2019s taking less time than anticipated, you\u2019ll let her know, but otherwise, your estimate stands firm.<\/p>\n
![\"\u201cForget](\"https:\/\/www.teamly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Forget-the-Feedback-Fred.png\")
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A \u201cForget the Feedback\u201d Fred isn\u2019t open to your suggestions–even in cases where he hired you for the very expertise you\u2019re providing! In short, he wants things done in a certain way \u2026 a way that you don\u2019t think is in the best interest of his business.<\/p>\n
When confronted with this type of client, it\u2019s important not to take things personally. Instead, explain why you\u2019re making the recommendation you are in writing and elaborate on your reasoning. Then, emotionally detach from the outcome and allow your client to make his own decision.<\/p>\n
In some cases, you might be able to change his mind, in others, you won\u2019t. However, since the decision affects his business, it should ultimately be his call.<\/p>\n
You know the type \u2026 a Workaholic Wendy is constantly burning the midnight oil, rarely takes a vacation, and even churns out emails on Christmas. That\u2019s all well and good for her, but this kind of client expects the same dedication from you. Uh-uh.<\/p>\n
The best way to handle a Workaholic Wendy is to set expectations right from the get-go. For instance, you might explain to a Wendy that your email response time is 24 hours or that you only respond to emergencies on the weekend–anything else can wait until Monday.<\/p>\n
Additionally, you\u2019ll want to make sure that you establish firm boundaries and stick to them. So, if you\u2019ve already informed Workaholic Wendy that you don\u2019t answer emails over the weekend unless they\u2019re an emergency, do what you said you would–and wait until Monday to respond.<\/p>\n
Bureaucratic Bobs are all too common at large corporations. Rather than being able to make relatively simple decisions on their own, Bureaucratic Bobs need to get input from an entire committee about the latest blog post you wrote or the shade of blue you used on a graphic.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, Bureaucratic Bobs come with the territory when you\u2019re working for big business. And although they may be frustrating, a lot of that frustration comes from the confusion of multiple people providing you feedback.<\/p>\n
While you may not be able to change the bureaucracies of Bob\u2019s workplace, you can insist on having just one contact person–someone who can act as your sole company liaison, so you don\u2019t have multiple people providing you with direction.<\/p>\n
![\"Nitpicking](\"https:\/\/www.teamly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Nitpicking-Nancy.png\")
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Nothing\u2019s ever good enough for a Nitpicking Nancy. This demanding client will dissect and pick apart every little thing you do, finding even the smallest of \u201cflaws.\u201d Don\u2019t worry, it\u2019s not you–it\u2019s them. Almost certainly their negativity predated your relationship.<\/p>\n
The best way to deal with a Nitpicking Nancy is to avoid clients like these in the first place. So, how can you identify a Nancy? If you\u2019re on a hiring platform, your first step is to check her feedback from other contractors.<\/p>\n
Another telling clue is when a client asks if you provide unlimited revisions. If they have to ask, it\u2019s usually because they already know that they\u2019re rarely satisfied with just one or two edits.<\/p>\n
That said, let\u2019s say it\u2019s too late–you\u2019re already working for a Nitpicking Nancy, what should you do? First of all, don\u2019t take it personally, some people just have a negative disposition that doesn\u2019t have anything to do with you.<\/p>\n
In which case, this is a client that\u2019s well-worth firing, because nothing will ever be good enough for a Nitpicking Nancy. Not only will she sap your time and energy, but she\u2019ll also leave you incredibly frustrated in the process.<\/p>\n
Rather than deal with that, sever the relationship, so you have more time to work with the clients you do like.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Dealing with difficult clients is no fun. Not only can they make your work hours miserable, but their behavior can also take up mental space in your off-hours too \u2026 leaving you cranky, stressed out, and feeling put-upon, long after your workday has come to an end. Fortunately, there is hope–once you know how to … <\/p>\n