It's complicated: What's the best way to deal with difficult clients?
Just as in private life, interpersonal relationships in agencies are not always that simple. While in private life, ending relationships is a viable option, undertaking this is somewhat more complicated in everyday business life. Dealing with difficult clients is a reality of everyday business life, but it’s worthwhile to first understand, if the client is actually difficult or if there are other factors at play—not matching on a personal level, breakdowns in communication, etc. Therefore, the questions you should first ask yourself are: Is my client actually difficult with me? Is it possible that my opinion is already shaped by colleagues who have a troubled history with this client? Or does the client remind me of someone with whom I myself have had unpleasant interactions with in the past? Maybe I simply can not stand their voice or the way they communicate? What exactly makes me perceive the client as difficult? So many questions! Yet, asking yourself these questions is a great and simple starting point to think analytically, instead of purely emotionally, allowing you to focus on finding concrete solutions.
Clients are people with whom we develop relationships with, first and foremost in a work context—with whom we ideally cultivate a pleasant and productive way of working together. Sharing a beer together after-hours is great, and a bonus, however it's not the main goal of a client relationship. In the best case scenario, the relationship is pleasantly unexciting, effective and productive, stress-free, feels synergetic and energizing, and is fair and balanced (especially when it comes to time and compensation).
The Laikaverse has a clear stance on the type of client relationships we value, and that's a good thing. We feel that it’s not only professional to share and exchange collaboration and project ideas, but to also make clear the expectations for the day-to-day business relationship. Lack of clarity is one of the most common stress factors that lead to difficulties in working together, and that is why this is also a good starting point to focus on a solution. "Difficult" is anything but precise. So, in order to more clearly determine what exactly causes us to perceive a client as such, a few more important questions should be considered:
Do you feel the client is incoherent with the way they communicate?
Do you feel their actions and timelines are chaotic?
Do you find their briefings to be unclear?
Do you feel they are non-committal in what was discussed?
Do you feel the client is not transparent enough, and do you think they don’t provide enough context?
Do you feel there is a lack of appreciation?
Do you feel that their behavior is sometimes disrespectful towards you?
Do you feel timelines and deadlines are unrealistic and difficult to meet?
Do you feel that tasks requested by the client are reasonable and doable?
Feel free to consider for yourself what other factors come up, to better determine what is leading you to label your client as difficult, so that you can move from focusing solely on the label—and rather paralyzing perception, to understanding the issues at hand, and finding solutions. Once you've sorted out what's bothering or annoying you, name it clearly and get it out of the way! Whatever it is, address it in an appreciative, constructive and solution-oriented manner in the spirit of nonviolent communication. Ask your client to share their perspective and suggest solutions and alternative approaches. Here are a few concrete tips:
Stay calm, remain objective, look at it from different perspectives
The most important thing when dealing with difficult clients and difficult conversations is to remain calm and never get personal. Describe your point of view, how you feel, and express what exactly is making your job difficult and why. Focus on how you feel, do not reproach your client! Listen carefully to complaints and feedback. Usually, they are not directed against you personally, but rather are more representative of a general sentiment about the agency or even the entire industry.
When asking your client about their point of view, be open and understanding. Kindly deal with accusations by bringing the conversation back to your client’s experience. This serves to expose the different perspectives that exist when two people look at the same thing from different angles.
It’s important to listen actively. This means, above all, letting the other person finish what they are saying and really listening to what is actually being said—without interpretation. After they say something, paraphrase what you heard: "Did I understand you correctly that...". This not only shows your interest in what they are saying, but also challenges the client to be clear with their statements.
Remain respectful, admit to mistakes and point out solutions
It is helpful to keep in mind that although we may be dealing with a challenging client, they, like everyone, deserve to be treated with respect. Every concern from a client has its place. Whether it can be solved and how to solve it must be clarified. If a customer issue has been resolved, and there is negative feedback, mistakes and the lessons to be learned should stay factual. If something was done wrong, admit to it, apologize and focus on improvement. Don't get stuck as being the culprit. Discuss these mistakes with the client to deduce what needs to be done differently next time.
Ask the client in an open and honest way how they would like to solve or change the situation, and see if you have the capacity to handle the proposed solutions. Don't engage in loud or abusive communication. End a situation firmly but respectfully if it doesn't match your values of respectful interactions. Feel free to say something like, "I understand that you are upset. The situation is not pleasant for either of us. That's precisely why we need to make it better. I have suggested solutions to you. If we can't move these forward in a professional way, I'll have to end the conversation. That's not how I want to work. Feel free to get in touch if you would like to work together, respectfully and professionally, on a solution."
Positive wording, positive ending
Your solution-oriented goal is absolutely justified even in difficult client situations, but it’s always important to maintain a polite, professional tone, and a clear message. When dealing with difficult clients, subtleties in tone quickly become important. Put your ideas in order to make them clearer. Instead of using phrases without alternatives, such as "The timing doesn't work," choose explanatory and suggestive statements such as "If we look at the daily editorial routine, a send-out then is more favorable from my point of view, because...". This offers a solution that is based on the relevant circumstances.
These are just a few examples, and there are many approaches to bringing clarity to difficult situations. However, there is no magic remedy and it can happen that certain approaches do not lead to the desired results. It might come down to you and your client having to part and go separate ways. If it comes to that, you know you left no stone unturned and sometimes ending a situation is wiser than enduring it.
And no matter how the conversation goes—even if it started on shaky grounds, and was not entirely positive, try to end every conversation on a positive note. The framework of word choice significantly influences the perception of a message, and the end of any conversation has great importance. Therefore, when ending a conversation, try to formulate a positive and concrete conclusion with precise next steps.
We wish you much clarity with current and future clients. Do not hesitate to get in touch with us, for more information about establishing your business relationship values and sticking to them.