I was reading this article written by Jennifer Aldrich on the Invision website and it make me think about how many people I know who allow themselves to become “victims” of their clients. Yes, I use the words “allow themselves to become”. The clients don’t victimize them. More often than not, we allow ourselves to be victimized.
How often have we become upset and face unnecessary stress and temper flares when our clients cannot make up their minds, or perhaps think we can work a miracle? No doubt, sometimes they really are too much. But I believe that all this can be nipped in the bud.
1. Do not be a Yes Man. Be honest.
Many of us are guilty of being Yes men, just so we clinch the deal. Do not be afraid to say no. Do not be afraid to say you don’t know how to do something. Just be plain honest about what you can or cannot do. I have seen and met 1 too many clients who just love honesty over everything else. If you’re honest, some clients are even willing to accept your inabilities and tackle that learning curve with you.
2. Ask questions. Ask, even if you end up looking stupid.
In Asia, there is this thing called Face Value. In the western part of the world, it’s called an ego or pride. People, especially Asians, do not want to look stupid or look any less than their counterparts. So in a struggle to not look stupid, we do not ask questions even when we don’t know what the **** the other person is talking about. Oh trust me, even my own hubby does this. And sometimes at the end of a long monologue, I get a question that tells me he totally didn’t get what I said. And I’ll go, “You didn’t even get what I was saying all this time, did you?” and give him a really withering look. And so back I go to the beginning, explaining in greater detail. Gee.
So my husband is certainly not the only person I’ve encountered, who is like that. Countless. And this huge question pops in my head, “Why didn’t you stop me to explain? Why didn’t you tell me you don’t understand what I’m talking about?!”
Trust me, if you just say “sorry, I didn’t understand that…” or “what is ____ ?” They aren’t gonna think you stupid. In fact, they’ll be more than happy to simply explain. If that person belittles you for asking, it just says ALOT about their own character.
3. DIG DEEP
More often than not, clients do not understand what we do, in every industry. It is our duty, as service providers, to explain how things go and set the “ground rules”. If you set the ground rules right, right out from the beginning, your work together will be a lot less hasslesome.
Digging deep also pertains to what the client wants. Get to the bottom line – what they want to achieve, what they want to do, what they have in mind. Make sure you understand fully what the client wants. Ask each question a few times to ensure they stick to their guns. That they truly know what they want. Do not be afraid to question a client who keeps shifting gears and doesn’t seem to know what they want at all.
Digging deep also sometimes brings out information that will otherwise be hidden from you. Most clients only tell us about the tip of the iceberg. Dig deep and keep digging to have a good feel of how huge this iceberg is gonna be.
4. Be Responsible. You Are Your Word.
We are our word. In other words, our words make us who we are. At least, a large part of who we are. So be responsible for your words and actions. Do not over-promise and under-deliver. And when shit hits the fan, be responsible and take action. The blame game is old and sick.
Being responsible also means not playing the victim and taking responsibility for your own actions or inactions. If you could have done something about it in the beginning, and you didn’t, suck it up and learn your lesson and make sure you set your ground rules right in the beginning.
