This video by RockPaperInk gives you a fun take on the client relationship and what can sometimes happen in the vendor relationship. Go ahead and watch it – it is short – I can wait. Â Wasn’t that hilarious? Â It was sent to me by a friend. We’ve been sharing tales like this recently as we each have a client playing these kinds of games. So how do you prevent it?
Obviously, setting expectations up front is key. Â Everyone should understand, in writing, what is going to happen. Â But as the videos show, clients often know the rules and yet try to change the game after the fact. Â I think the restaurant is the best example. Â The prices were stated on the menu, the couple ate and enjoyed what they ordered, but now want to negotiate down the price. Â At the end, they finally agree to pay what they should but with the expectation that they learn how to make the food at home. Â For those of us who trade time for money, this isn’t as funny a video as it should be. Â Even without the tools, training and experience, the client wants to bring the service “in house”.
So what can you do to prevent THIS? Â You set expectations at the beginning, but the real key I think here is to make sure you continue to sell your client on what you bring to the table. Â If something looks easy, the client assumes it is. Â It is a delicate balance but it is critical to get it right. Some things that can help:
Never talk about the value of your service being tied to your own expenses. Recently I had someone tell me I had to appreciate her costs because she had 5 people on staff. Bottom line, not my problem. If it isn’t worth what you are charging me for the value I receive, I’ll negotiate – and negotiate hard. Â For instance, did all 5 people actually touch MY project?
What you do isn’t “easy” or “simple”. Â It is cake for me to re-route email into a folder in Outlook through a rule. Â I’ve done it a million times. It is a simple task because I’ve done it as many times as I have, I use rules all the time to help keep myself organized, and I spent the time to figure out how to make that work. Â I’m not saying it is brain surgery, but at the same time the PROCESS to achieve the result is simple – the RESULT it achieves is not. Â Meaning, if I create a rule for a client and route email directly so she doesn’t have to manage 20-100 emails a day, how much time have I given her back each day? Â Isn’t that worth the $15 it would cost? Â Seems like a no-brainer. Â But I have to make sure she understands that it is the RESULT that is important – not how simple or easy it was to get there.
The hardest one – recognize that for every client who negotiates, you can get one that understands your value. Â The hair salon client in the video should either get a haircut and that’s it or kicked out. She clearly has no business in that chair or has some reason to believe it is reasonable to negotiate like that. The stylist doesn’t care if her husband likes highlights and it isn’t his job to worry about it. Â He needs to get clients who appreciate what he does and how he does it versus someone who would treat him like that. A very polite, “I’ll be happy to take care of you, but prices are not negotiable” should end the discussion. Â By negotiating, you’ve set yourself up for all kinds of headaches. Because people like that LOVE to tell their friends about the “great deal” they got. Â And then you get more clients like them. Â Go for the ones that get what you do.
So have a laugh, and then look at your clients to see which ones could have segments on this video themselves. Â If you have any, it is time to start phasing them out. Â Do a little negotiating yourself!
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