12 Breeds of Client and How to Work with Them
Jack KnightThere are loads of different types of clients out there and chances are at some point you’ll get to meet all of them. So let’s take a look through some typical clients and see if you recognise a few of your own in there!
Client Breed #1
The Low-Tech Client
How to spot one:
Looks confused and disoriented when discussing anything high-tech, calls rather than emails, wants everything to be faxed. The Low-tech client needs to go through everything twice to get it, but will then happily take your advice.
The Highs:
The Low-tech client will rely solely on your sage wisdom for all things technology related. They will look to you as your technology saviour and will stroke your ego with their reverence of your knowledge and advice.
The Lows:
The low-tech client will need to be handheld through everything from setting up their email to opening up PDFs. Charge accordingly. They can also be particularly frustrating if they decide to ‘work it out themselves’. A Low-tech client’s idea of how a website should work for example is often not pretty.
How To Work With One:
The low-tech client needs to be handheld. Make sure everything technical about a job is in writing for them to reread at their leisure. This will save you a lot of time explaining things repeatedly. It’s also best to just accept that you will not be using a lot of the technology that makes our lives easier these days (email, online project management etc) and should instead budget in time for phone calls, faxes and face to face meetings.
It is very easy to start to patronize your low-tech client unintentionally. As you can imagine, this can damage your relationship and even worse hurt their feelings. Make sure you balance the playing field by asking for their input in the areas they know about – their business. This will keep them happy stop them feeling the need to weigh in on your area of expertise – which can waste everybody’s time.
Finally if you work in technology, make sure that your Low-tech client knows how to use whatever product you give them!
Client Breed #2
The Uninterested Client
Thanks to one of our commenters for pointing out my negligence in writing ‘disinterested’ rather than ‘unintererested’ which would have been correct! It is now fixed.
How To Spot One:
The uninterested client is a strange beast – where most clients can’t wait to get involved in your work, the uninterested client just wants things done with as little effort from them as possible. You’ll spot an uninterested client on first meeting when you ask them questions about their business and are met with the minimal response. The uninterested client will rarely provide requested information or materials and will often ask you to complete tasks outside your area of expertise because they “don’t have time”.
The Highs:
An uninterested client will give you a lot of creative freedom, mostly because they have no interest in being involved. Their insistence that you “take care of it” may broaden your skill set and your ability to delegate to outside contractors. You may also gain experience making it work when you don’t have the information or materials you need.
The Lows:
The uninterested client will ask you to take care of everything from copywriting (when you’re a web designer) to flyer design (when you’re a copywriter). Sadly they will often not realize that this should incur extra cost. The uninterested client sometimes marries their lack of interest with wanting things done a certain way producing a very hard to deal with client.
How To Work With One:
It is best to get into good habits early with your uninterested client. A freelancer must be pushy with an uninterested client, so get used to calling and emailing repeatedly. A friendly and humorous tone is a great help when trying to push them along. An uninterested client generally isn’t trying to be rude and unpleasant, most of the time they’re very stressed and crying out for a little help. If you can be straight with them that extra work costs extra money, either take on that extra work if you can or use it as an opportunity to outsource.
A uninterested client is a tricky client, but if you manage to take care of them they often become very loyal, happy to have someone that ‘takes care of business’. Just make sure you are straight about costs, and be clear with yourself that nagging is unavoidable.
Client Breed #3
The Hands-On Client
How To Spot One:
The hands-On client is a frustrated artist, as soon as they walk in the door they will be telling you about their skill as an artist, illustrator, photographer or writer. The hands-on client already has a very specific idea about what they want and usually has very little interest in your thoughts on the matter.
The Highs:
If you’re happy to just do exactly as they ask no matter what you might think of it, a hands-on client can be a good little earner. Almost always there is little confusion as to what the client wants to see and this can make these jobs easy.
The Lows:
If you feel you have an ethical responsibility to point out the flaws in your hands-on client’s directions, you are headed for conflict. Hands-on client’s secretly believe that they could do their job much better than you and that there is little or no specialist knowledge you could possibly impart.
One oddity about working with a hands-on client sometimes occurs when you give in your creative ambitions and agree to do it their way. All of a sudden your hands-on client may accuse you of making them do all the work or not doing your job. This can go as far as baulking on payment. Naturally this is highly infuriating.
How To Work With One:
When you find a hands-on client, the best thing to do is go with the flow. If you try to fight it you usually lose and the job winds up a lot harder than it needed to be. If your hands-on client knows exactly what they want, then power to them, recognise that and give it to them.
Often its a good idea to explicitly tell them that they seem to have a very specific idea of what they want and that you will be following their direction, however make it clear that if they would prefer; you are more than capable of doing it without their input.
Client Breed #4
The Paranoid Client
How To Spot One:
The legal papers come out almost immediately and are elaborate to say the least. A paranoid client will often not want to even discuss their project without getting you to sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) and be prepared for drafted agreement to be heavily pitched in their favour.
The Highs:
If you work with a paranoid client, any legal agreement you sign should also be protecting you. So as long as you don’t breach any part the agreements you sign you should get paid.
The Lows:
You MUST get any major legal agreements looked at by a lawyer (and not the lawyer that works for them). As you would imagine, this can cost a lot of money that your client may not be willing to pay. Often within these documents are a whole list of grounds for the client dismissing you without payment. Grounds might be that you miss a deadline for whatever reason (even if the paranoid client is at fault).
From personal experience, I have always found the most paranoid clients are the ones who seem to have the most problems as well. This happens because they are always on the lookout for evidence that they are being ripped off or taken advantage of. Needless to say this means that you can easily wind up trying to straighten our points of legality with them rather than doing your job.
How To Work With One:
It is not worth working with a paranoid client for a small or low paying job. The risks far outweigh any possible gains. Besides, a personalized legal agreement is very expensive, so if they’re willing to spend a large sum on protecting their interests they should be paying you equally well.
For a large job with a big client you may wish to consider going for it, but even then factor lawyer’s fees into your quote. Most companies have legal agreements because they want to protect themselves or sensitive projects, but some paranoid clients use them in a predatory way. Remember that the paranoid client paid more to be protected, so you should quote more to make sure you get a fair deal.
Client Breed #5
The Appreciative Client
How To Spot One:
The appreciative client will shower you with praise and make you feel special – gosh I love an appreciative client!
The Highs:
The appreciative client will make your life very easy as they’ll often pick the first version of the first draft and declare it perfect. They’re very enthusiastic and generally a delight to work with.
Even when the appreciative client does not like something they often word things in ways that make you happy to continue work on the project to get it pitch perfect.
The Lows:
They’ll make the rest of your clients look bad.
How To Work With One:
Sit back and enjoy the glory. Make sure you get them a very nice Christmas gift and throw in a freebie every now and then. An appreciative client is like gold to a freelancer, so do your best work and make them feel like a VIP.
Client Breed #6
The Get-a- Good-Deal Client
How To Spot One:
The get-a-good-deal client is a wheeler-dealer and believes that the price you first give is just a starting point for negotiations. You’ll know you have a get-a-good-deal client on your hands because agreeing on a price and job description always involves a bit of to and fro. Often times get-a-good-deal clients are successful entrepreneurial types who have haggled their way to wealth.
The Highs:
Get-a-good-deal clients are often great for getting repeat and referral work having their fingers in lots of pies and you can sometimes make deals that payoff well for you as well as them.
The Lows:
If you aren’t a good negotiator or you don’t recognise a get-a-good-deal client soon enough you can wind up feeling taken advantage of as they take whatever there is to be had. Unethical get-a-good-deal client’s are usually up for ‘no harm trying’ mentality that can see them trying to get out of paying for certain things or at their worst bullying you for more work or discounts.
How To Work With One:
The best way to deal with a get-a-good-deal client is to fight fire with fire so to speak. Taking a get-a-good-deal approach back on them usually negates their strengths and ensures that you cut a fair deal. This means coming in high and then lowering your prices and being very assertive on points of payment and workload.
Client Breed #7
The I’ll-Know-It -When-I-See-It Client
How To Spot One:
The I’ll-Know-It-When-I-See-It client shares much in common with the uninterested client except in a more frustrating way. Their indecisiveness and inability to articulate what they are after makes them one of the few clients that it is generally best to steer clear of.
The Highs:
If you can produce the “It” for this type of client you can possibly win them over and turn the I’ll-Know-It-When-I-See-It client into a very appreciative and trusting client who rejoices in having found someone who has their same ‘vision’.
The Lows:
If you don’t produce the “It” this type of client can quickly become highly frustrating as you stab franticly in the dark while worrying about blowing your budget and timeframe.
To make matters worse the I’ll-Know-It-When-I-See-It client often becomes agitated or unhappy with you if you don’t magically produce “It” leading to strained relations and a project that rapidly goes south.
How To Work With One:
In order to work with a I’ll-Know-It-When-I-See-It Client you need to remember two things:
- First be VERY clear with how much revisions cost. If you don’t do this you WILL blow your budget
- Second unless you can produce “It” you could be in for a rough project, accept this fact.
Client Breed #8
The Always-Urgent Client
How To Spot One:
All their emails are ‘highest priority’ and their couriers are always red-hot. They work on weekends and late into the night and think that everyone else does too. Additionally the always-urgent client often seems to think they are your only client and that their job should therefore be your highest priority as well as theirs.
The Highs:
Since there is never any room for prolonging a job the always-urgent client will usually okay jobs relatively quickly. They often won’t have time to okay a quote so you end up charging by the hour.
The always-urgent client generally knows when they are being unreasonable and will do their best to pay you quickly, which is handy for cash flow.
The Lows:
The always-urgent client adds stress to your life, and if you want to keep them you may need to work late nights or over the weekend. You may also endure repeat late night phone calls and nonchalant requests that you build websites, organise photoshoots and produce detailed illustrations in oh… say a few hours!
How To Work With One:
The always-urgent client must be taken with a grain of salt. Everything will be desperate so you must decide when it is worth the inconvenience to yourself and your other clients. You must make it clear to the always-urgent client when their requests are unreasonable, right from the beginning. As always, keeping this light-hearted and jokey is the way to go, thereby defusing situations where you might otherwise come off as aggressive.
The always-urgent client is similar to the disinterested client in that they both require extra care. You may need to chase up the always-urgent client if you know a job is coming up in order to give yourself more time and as with the disinterested client, if you take care of them when it counts they will be loyal to you.
A word of warning though, having multiple always-urgent clients can lead to severely stressful situations as everything is needed now, now, now! So unless you thrive on pressure, you are advised to limit the number of this type of client you engage.
Client Breed #9
The Decision-By- Committee Client
How To Spot One:
Usually inhabiting the world of large corporate clients, the decision-by-committee client can still be found in smaller operations where they share their decision making with a spouse, neighbour or dog. The decision-by-committee client is one who lacks a single point of authority and for which every decision must be approved by many people.
The Highs:
Since decision-by-committee clients don’t have anyone making firm decisions it is sometimes possible to just do whatever you think and sneak it through under the radar. This can easily backfire though, so be careful.
The Lows:
The decision-by-committee client at its worst is achingly slow to work with and when many people have thier pet peeves you can wind up with a highly inferior product to show for the work. Decision-by-committee client almost always reduce to the lowest common denominator and if there is one person who dominates they are usually the one person you wish *didn’t* dominate.
How To Work With One:
Unfortunately decision-by-committee clients are a fact of life when it comes to working with large corporate clients and this is one reason why it is important to charge high when dealing with the big guys.
It helps to be firm and quickly identify the stronger members of the committee and target them for responses while trying to win them over by conceding lesser points and sticking to your main guns.
Client Breed #10
The Doormat Client
How To Spot One:
The doormat client is the client who puts up with anything and just keeps coming back. They are usually very unassertive and seem to be content waiting for ages for you to get back to them or accepting less than perfect work.
The Highs:
The doormat client is often also very appreciative which is always nice. Its also relaxing to have a client who doesn’t mind waiting around.
The Lows:
Unfortunately doormat clients often bring out the worst in freelancers. Without the pressure of a potentially angry client a freelancer can easily become laissez-faire about their work and wind up taking advantage of the client’s passive nature.
How To Work With One:
The doormat client requires great discipline to make sure that you stick to your timeframes and deliver the goods. If your client doesn’t protect themselves then it is up to you to do so for them.
While you may wish to take advantage of their generous nature on occasions when you are stressed, you should try your best to treat them the same as every other client.
Client Breed #11
The Budget Client
How To Spot One:
Every client is on a budget, but some clients just seem that much tighter than the others. The budget client can be the result of doing a friend or relative a favour, or equally just a regular client who never has any cash.
The Highs:
Budget clients are sometimes appreciative of the work they are getting done so cheaply - though unfortunately this isn’t always the case.
The Lows:
Budget clients are cheap and at their worst still expect the same service and workload as their higher paying brethren. This makes them both annoying and bad for business.
Budget clients are at their worst when they exhibit traits from other clients such as ‘Always-Urgent’ or ‘Paranoid’, in which case its just not worth it.
How To Work With One:
Make sure your budget client realises they are on a budget and that therefore their work may not always be first priority and that you probably can’t get those extra changes or revisions in because it simply doesn’t make good business sense. If your budget client gets aggressive or manifests other negative traits, accept that they aren’t worth it and let them go.
Client Breed #12
The You-Should- Be-So-Lucky Client
How To Spot One:
The you-should-be-so-lucky client is much cooler than you and they know it. They generally have a cool but low paying project for you and are in an industry everyone wants to work in…think music, film and fashion industries in particular.
The Highs:
The right you-should-be-so-lucky client looks great in your portfolio, and your friends will think you’re cool. You’ll make some handy contacts and your professional credibility will probably benefit. You’ll also be hanging out with the cool kids – TAKE THAT HIGH SCHOOL!
The Lows:
You won’t be paid much and the you-should-be-so-lucky client will act like they’re doing you the favour, not the other way around. If you do enough jobs for a you-should-be-so-lucky client you will start getting jaded about the industry and feel mistreated for your efforts.
How To Work With One:
The you-should-be-so-lucky client can be a great asset to your portfolio, but that will be the main reason to do the job. Because everybody wants this type of job (until they’ve actually got some) there are many talented but green freelancers more than happy to work for almost nothing. If you are a student this can be a great thing to do, but for a seasoned freelancer it can impact your cash flow. So pick your you-should-be-so-lucky clients carefully and use them sparingly to impact your portfolio or break up the monotony of corporate jobs. And of course, make sure you enjoy being that damn cool!
So that’s our list
Have we missed any clients? And which are you favourites …
Matthew Pennell
April 13th, 2007
IME you tend to build up a portfolio of Low-Tech clients when you’re just starting out - the ‘friend-of-a-friend’ types who you do cheap work for to build up your portfolio - but they can become a major drain on resources when you start to take your business more seriously, so the quicker you can jettison them and move onto bigger clients, the better.
Neil
April 13th, 2007
Brilliant post. So true. When I think of all the times I’ve got into trouble by treating one type of client the same as another type.
Azmeen
April 13th, 2007
Deliciously true and categorised very well.
Definitely recommended reading for anyone in the IT business.
Rico
April 13th, 2007
Interesting post, especially since most clients are actually a combination of one, two, or even three of the types you’ve written about.
Erwin Heiser
April 13th, 2007
Man I’m glad I found this site! Beem reading here for an hour now and all of is useful info and very recognizable. Thanks for a great resource, feed added to Newsfire
me
April 13th, 2007
Nice post.
Indeed, you have missed one crucial client. The guy who started doing the work himself but has to attend to other jobs. Or as a corrolary, the client who initally had his son/neighbour’s kid/nephew in high school take a crack at it, and now wants you to do it because son/neighbour/newphew is off to college. And he wants you to not only do it for cheap (because his son/newphew etc. could do it anyways), but also doesn’t want you to scrap this horrendous code that’s already been done for ‘economical reasons’.
I’d label this client: “Everything is So Simple, Why Can’t you Do it in 2 days?” client.
I’ll list the cons:
- thinks that because he can understand the underlying concept of how an Access database works, he is well versed in db admin. And hence, doesn’t see that your 12 years of Oracle experience counts for anything that he couldn’t solve if he wasn’t so inclined to do.
- thinks that your reusing already written code (that most likely is not even a prototype but a completely unfunctioning mockup) will save you time and hence him money.
- will argue that your hourly rate is way too steep, because his newphew charged $12/hr… completely ignoring the fact that he or his newphew would do a task in tenfold the time you could and at 1 tenth the overall quality.
This kind of client is most likely a professional like a doctor (MD, Optometrist etc), a lawyer or some sort of hot shot consultant PhD in who knows what.
How to handle them:
These clients can be the cheap kind that wants the project done for practically free, the urgent kind who wants it done immediately, or maybe even both. The key is to ‘break’ them in by knowing your stuff. They are most easily impressed by a confident sounding voice over the phone explaining the myriads of aspects they haven’t considered. Once the ‘authority’ has been set, you can move on to the dealing methods of more traditional clients (like cheapo, and speedo).
I say this with all due respect, they can be great clients if they stop underestimating you. But that may take months or even years.
I’m sure you’ve seen these kinds of clients, so I’ll let you fill in the rest.
Arthur Cundy
April 13th, 2007
Totally agree. I’ve had all of them except the Doormat client. This is a good post; I have something similar here: http://www.3elevencreative.com/clients/
mynameishere
April 13th, 2007
Here, okay:
http://wsu.edu/~brians/errors/disinterested.html
Eric
April 13th, 2007
This is an awesome list. Will refer to it often.
Will
April 13th, 2007
Great article. You’ve nailed it right on the head here. Ive been in this game for nearly two years now and come across all of these types. I can even evaluate them over the phone from a 5min conversation.
I personally find if your having to run a website through someone in marketing, or worse, a team of marketeers your in for a stressful time! :P.
Ranganath
April 13th, 2007
Coolest
Benjamin Hirsch
April 13th, 2007
Great post! My only disagreement is that with the ‘always urgent’ client you should not be “jokey”. I have had issues where they feel that I am not taking their urgent requests seriously. I do agree that you should use your own judgment as to how urgent the request is. However, I think you should state that you understand their needs and rather seriously explain that it ain’t gonna happen immediately.
Quinn
April 13th, 2007
Great Post! I totally agree. I wish I could send this to my Japanese clients.
Dave C.
April 13th, 2007
You forgot The Indecisive Client who likes what you’re doing and then changes their mind, and then changes it again, and then decides to go back to the original idea, except different.
Jermayn Parker
April 14th, 2007
Don’t you just love clients???
Windows Vista
April 14th, 2007
great post and toons
mind
April 14th, 2007
I do embedded design and a lot of these ring familiar. A point to add for diagnosing the always-urgent client is that there is a different type where nothing is in fact urgent, but they talk of it as such. When you talk to them on tuesday, they anticipate getting you some critical specs wednesday and they need the project done by monday. Whenever you call to ask for the specs, don’t worry, sending them to you is the next thing on their list. It takes until the following tuesday until you actually receive any specifications, and the monday deadline vanished without a trace. You just kind of have to get used to this type, and understand that when they say something is urgent, don’t clear your schedule until they’ve actually acted as such.
northtacoma
April 14th, 2007
Couldn’t stop reading. Great stuff. I have 3 current clients that are each described perfectly in this article. I particularly agree with your plans of attack for each breed.
Al
April 14th, 2007
I think one more should be added… and that’s the client who knows just enough to be stupidly dangerous to your work flow.
I get these on occasion and they are a serious thorn in my side. They are the folks who know all the acronyms (but not know the meanings), and always seem to have a “web guru” for a friend. What always boggles me is that if they did have a web guru for a friend, why are they coming to me? At any rate, they are likely the same folks who are liable to think Java and Javascript are closely related, or other similar misconceptions by the web-unsavvy.
With these sorts, I have to take extra caution to not tell them “too much” because, before you know it, in a few days I will get a call telling me to do, say for example, a dynamic content driven website in CSS instead of PHP because their web guru buddy told them it’s the new Web 2.0 trend. When I politely would say, “Sorry, it doesn’t work that way,” responses range from the befuddled to the mundane. I had one guy even walk out on a very large project like this, throwing insults and spouting off about going to “someone else who CAN do it”.
Good luck, sir.
Michelle
April 14th, 2007
A few things I disagree on: The Get-a- Good-Deal Client - Never give the illusion of haggling with your prices. Give a firm quote and stick to it. Otherwise, if the client talks to your other customers, they might be angry to learn that you pulled one over on them. Also, it’s just not professional. You don’t go to a professional (doctor, lawyer, plumber, mechanic, etc.) and haggle over their prices. Also, for Disinterested Clients and Always-Urgent Clients, DO NOT coddle them. It just enables the bad behavior. Do not answer their phone calls after hours or work for them on weekends. Treat them like your other customers. I have found that when I do that, 9 times out of 10 they will fall in line. In the end, don’t be afraid to lose clients. You need to lose the clients that won’t push your business to be its best and increase your reputation. Respect is 50/50 and your clients should respect you as much as you respect them. Otherwise, you need to end that relationship.
Collis
April 14th, 2007
Some good points Michelle, particularly about coddling clients. I know that my partner Cyan always keeps things in business hours and she gets harassed far less than I do (I have a terrible habit of doing whatever it takes
With haggling, I’m not so sure its black and white. Even in big business you get corporate negotiations (which is just haggling in nice clothes). I personally hate changing prices, but some clients just seem to need the feeling of having gotten in better than everyone else. What I like to do is not to haggle over prices but rather to add in an extra for them.
Still its a good point about what if your client talks to other customers. I’ll have to think more on that one, I’d always just followed Jack’s line of thought
Chris
April 14th, 2007
Also check out the article “How to Avoid Getting Screwed by New Clients (fishers and wolves)”
“Who has time? If you are an independent web designer today, not you. What about that new client who keeps calling and asking questions? You want the work, but you’re taxed for time. You may be unsure about the new client’s commitment level too. This is exactly where to start. Determine right away if the caller is a good client or one that falls into the category of fishers and wolves.” …
http://www.vainnotion.com/blog/2006/11/how-to-avoid-getting-screwed-by-new.htm
Penguin Pete
April 14th, 2007
Brilliant list! I’ve had the experience with at least ten on the list. It all rings true!
I don’t know if this is an archetype or I just ‘got lucky’, but I have one who is an “emotional support” client. Communication is great, but I’m talking about I have one pop-up on my desktop every hour until the job is complete. He actually seems to be the ‘doormat’ type; I swear sometimes he is just paying me to have somebody to chat with!
Luke
April 14th, 2007
Well, they say that experience is what you get immediately after you really needed it… This breakdown of client types is something I sorely could have used a couple of months ago..
My first (and thusfar only) freelance client, and he was a terrible mix of a few of the above - namely a “You-Should- Be-So-Lucky Client” (in that he refused to pay for the work itself, but was selling a share in his idea, which just was not convincing), mixed with a “I’ll-Know-It -When-I-See-It” (the number of full markup templates I created and then had to recreate to fit his horrific design sense), “Doormat” (as he was unwilling to pay for my time he was all too willing to let things slide), “Hand-On” (the number of times I had to revert to a backup after he had “just been looking at” my code), “Appreciative” (always verbally appreciative, but financially and actually nothing…)
And then, on top of all that, he was the “I’m Not Going To Pay For It” kind of client as well… Even now, four months later and with a letter from him where he promised me a set figure for work to that date, he is still refusing to pay a measly fee.
Now, all I need is a bit more practice handling all these client types…
Rod
April 14th, 2007
I have one to add, though it may be a small town thing.
The “I will not admit to you that my wife makes all my decisions for me” client.
The ones (and in my experience they are way too common) who ask for work, love the result, but at the end of the day have to run it past their wife even though she has nothing to do with his company at all. She NEVER likes it, often demanding he go somewhere else and that he refuses to pay for work to date.
The only way we have found that works is to ask every client first if they will be the final person making the final decision and will tick off the job once it is done.
Ivan Minic
April 14th, 2007
One word. Priceless.
Terinea Tech Tips
April 14th, 2007
Fantastic list and great business advice.
Robert Lidberg
April 14th, 2007
Great article, spot on!
Karl
April 14th, 2007
Great article. I work with a lot low tech clients and this article speaks true of them.
Keith Donegan
April 14th, 2007
Brilliant Article Guys, Well Done…
mark rushworth
April 14th, 2007
Excellent! ive forwarded that to my sales manager lol
MrMMM
April 14th, 2007
Excellent Article thanks for the effort ..
I can relate to every breed that you mentioned, and as said in a previous comment clients can be a combination of a number of those breeds ..
For example a client of mine was a Decision-by-committee Client where the committee consisted of a I’ll-Know-it-When-I-See-It Client , a Paranoid Client and a Hands-On Client !!
Joel Fairstein
April 14th, 2007
Great, informative list! Add one more item:
“The Client Who Can’t Carry On A Conversation.” This is the client who, after asking you a question and your giving a clear, detailed answer, just sits there, saying nothing. You end up having to articulate a response for him based on his eyebrow position.
ttaM
April 14th, 2007
Umm, why does every panel have “The idea” in it? It’s confusing and pointless, and not at all obvious what is intended. If you are trying to show the guy on the right tell the guy on the left about what he’s going to do, you are doing a very poor job of it. Try switching the two - it’d make more sense.
Charles Gaba
April 14th, 2007
Excellent list! I recognize many of my clients here!
To the person who suggested adding the “Everything is So Simple, Why Can’t you Do it in 2 days?” Client above, you’re dead on, but you forgot to list the “Pros” of this client: at least you don’t have to worry about coming up with the overall design/look’n'feel, since it’s already in place. You may have to completely RE-DO it with proper code, recreating layered graphics in Photoshop (since they’ll only provide you with a final .gif/.jpg to work with), etc, but at least the general layout is done already.
delia
April 14th, 2007
Thank you for clearing up what I’ve been finding out. I’mprinting it out for future referrals - an exercise for each client - what are you?
One other type of client that can be a joy is one who wants to learn everything he/she can - not just to save money, but because he/she truly wants to understand what’s going on. They are appreciative and can be fun to work with. They don’t mind paying out what it takes to get to where they want and will stay your client forever.
The downside? Well, if you depend on clients for future income, this type of client won’t be a big money maker later unless he/she starts a totally new project.
tech
April 14th, 2007
Great article. You’ve nailed it right on the head here.
anonoymoose
April 14th, 2007
Clients? Who needs ‘em.
Mr.New
April 14th, 2007
Great article! The advice is helpful as is the dialogue on the blog. I’m glad I found this as a resource. Because this is really good and helpful, I don’t want a few minor spelling points to detract from it. I am not an expert myself, but here are a few points you may want to consider. (1) “saviour” and “favour” are British variants. If the author is British great! If not, it can come off as pretentious and should generally be avoided. (2) “organise” (The Always-Urgent Client) and “realises” (the Budget Client) look like they should be “organize” and “realize”. Great article and dialogue! I’m looking to get into freelance works and I think this will be a good resource. Thanks!
jalal heathrow
April 14th, 2007
http://rajasandhu.com/graphic_design_rates/graphic_design_rates.html
Jane
April 14th, 2007
I LOVE IT!
And I think I’ve encountered all of these types, except maybe the ‘Doormat’ (I could only be so lucky).
One I would add is definitely the ‘Hurry Up & Wait’ client. You know, the one that needs to see design edits by tomorrow, then disappears for 2 months afterward only to come back with more changes that are due in an hour. Of course, in the meantime, you’d taken on 3 more projects…
Colette
April 14th, 2007
Great work! I am still consulting, although no longer in the IT field, and all the types still ring true. I will pass this list along to my business partner who’s new at working with clients and could use a heads up. Thanks
Steve
April 14th, 2007
True
I think I have bipolar clients. Fell out o favour with client breed#4/ #6 earlier today. Presenting to client breed#1/ #7 on Monday morning
brendan
April 14th, 2007
Thanks, this was fun; but gray type on a gray background is a low-legibility design trend that really cannot end soon enough for me.
wiredb
April 15th, 2007
I really like it. I recognize here many of my past clients. Good job.
Jon
April 15th, 2007
You missed the “Pesky Client.” The client that sends WAY too many emails, asks way too many questions, wants way too many answers… and after the job is done STILL bombards your inbox with 2 or 3 emails a day. I have one of those now and still haven’t figured out to deal with them!
Respiro, the logo designer
April 15th, 2007
During the years I learned one thing: it doesn’t matter if it’s easy or it’s hard to work for a certain client, all that’s matter is to have a 100% satisfied client at the collaboration’s end.
Benek
April 16th, 2007
Great list. I’ll be tempted to give my clients links to this page and ask them to classify themselves, though I guess that wouldn’t be appropriate.
I agree that the indecisive client who always changes their mind needs to be added. I’ve had a few of those, and in my experience the best thing to do is to warn them upfront “OK, now we’re going to nail down the design. One more round of revisions and then I need you to finalize this. No changes once we go to building.” Of course, they always ask for changes anyway
….but at least then you can say “Fine, but it’s going to be more difficult to change this now at this stage, that’s going to cost you!”
David Blanchet
April 16th, 2007
Great article! I have dealt with all of these multiple times over my 9 year career (need to grammar/tense check it though).
Katie
April 16th, 2007
While some may enjoy the challenge in working with a “difficult” client, I have entered the age where I seek only those magically delicious ones, that you have classified as “The Appreciative” ones.
In my qualifying interviews, I admit that’s what I’m looking for and if I see the signs of any of the other 11, I pretty much refer the work to someone else. Life is too short to be a doormat, and that’s pretty much how the rest of the categories end up making me feel.
Terrific overview; now maybe someone could turn this into a chart, kind of like the zodiac, which we could use to see how the various types match up with our own selves!
Jeff
April 16th, 2007
Shawna liking the purple is HILARIOUS. Happens so much.
Jean Jean
April 16th, 2007
Oh, I just HAD to add one, since I deal with this type quite a bit - enough that for me, it merits its own category…
http://www.jeangoodwyn.com/others-blogged/12-breeds-of-client/
Some IT Lady
April 16th, 2007
This is a great article and very helpful when taking on new clients of any type.
What about the “client who has always liked your work now blames you for their own mistakes”
Yeah, those clients should be avoided more than the “see it” clients of course you have no idea they will turn on you until some years later.
Viking KARWUR
April 17th, 2007
ehmm… nice post…
MASA
April 17th, 2007
could you put anchors for each client section? Number 11 is my most latest client, and I want to email my friends with the link
oh and, I am already hanging out with the cool kids. TAKE THAT OLD MAN/WOMAN/PERSON! HIGH SCHOOL ROCKS!
AKS
April 17th, 2007
The I’ll-Know-It -When-I-See-It Client
As a graphic designer I can seriously relate to many (if not all) of the above, but this one is definately the most frequent for me… The “it”… Oh god, the “it”…. *wacks head in table*
Emily
April 17th, 2007
Great list, thanks for sharing! One my biggest clients is of the urgent type… everything is rush rush, top priority. But I’ve figured out her priorization method. Things are extremely urgent, very urgent, kind of urgent and just plain urgent. This helps me decide where to put it in my schedule. Perhaps other clients have a similar system, if you just look for it.
Eric
April 17th, 2007
This really makes me want to see a “12 Breeds of Designer” post.
chip
April 17th, 2007
with the hands on client i have the way to diffuse the assessment of “making them do all the work”
at the first meet where you’re talking about what they want in the project, as they get into nutsy boltsy aspects (as opposed to you telling them how you’ll approach it) give them a little ego boost”
and if they have or not, they’ll tell you.
The hardest part with this guy is swallowing creative pride and “just doing what they want” . . . takes practice, but it can be done.
leMel42
April 18th, 2007
One of the biggest benefits of the ‘Budget” client is that you can negotiate cost for freedom. I have actually given clients work for next to $nothing in exchange for 100% creative freedom to execute the project as I see fit. If they are *really* on a budget, they can appreciate such an offer. And it’s good for your portfolio and your spirit sometimes!
GroovyBrent
April 18th, 2007
Great article! I passed it along to all my staff as required reading.
Thanks!
Janice Schwarz
April 18th, 2007
Great article, I really like it. My only issue with going with the flow for the hands-on client is when they are wrong. Currently, I’m dealing with one who wants things that I won’t put my name to, such as non-standard web fonts. I’m giving in to her less critical demands. However, anything that could hurt my credibility as a designer, I just won’t do. One thing that goes a long way in dealing with a client that insists on something that is very wrong: I tell them that IF I did do it for them, I won’t put my name on it. No link to their site from mine, nothing in my portfolio, my name won’t be on the site, I wash my hands of it. That tends to really get their attention as to the magnitude of the mistake they are insisting happen.
Noel Green
April 18th, 2007
Wow… all I have to say is AMEN!
I have forwarded this article to every designer friend I know… please, please keep it here for every, even after the internet is gone. It is brilliant advice, well written, and spot on!
Okay… so that wasn’t all I had to say.
Kym
April 18th, 2007
I always run a mile from #3 (The Hands-On Client), because they inevitably realise, after you have bent over backwards to implement their lousy ideas, just how lousy they are… but it’s never their fault that the ideas don’t work. : ((
jen
April 18th, 2007
Someone else above has probably already said this, but this so applies to working non-freelance also. Very useful.
Nicky
April 18th, 2007
Just a warning I had a hands on client - oh I’ve done some work in tv, so let them take the lead. Then when it comes time to pay the bill, they decide they’re not happy and not paying.
Jojo
April 18th, 2007
This is great…It applies in the same way to my architecture clients!
Dina at Wordfeeder.com
April 18th, 2007
“I laughed so hard, I cried…”
(Well not really - but this IS classic material).
It’s kind of funny when you realize that your Doormat Client was referred to you by your Always Urgent Client… quite the unusual dynamic.
I received the link to your blog from a friend just five minutes ago, and I’m so glad I did. You’re getting favorited. Thanks for being here!
Robert
April 19th, 2007
WOW, this has been a great post.
I retired from design build contracting 10 yrs ago and I think you missed the group B and C type to each of the above. They are the ones, in group B that you figure out in time and are good happy customers and will be [ or their friends will be] good customers the next time and they pay their bills, all’s well.
Then there is group c of each heading group; you do all the same exercises and they don’t pay you anyway.
Nancy
April 19th, 2007
This is my life. What’s tricky is not working with more than one of any type of client at a time. Except for number 5 which I’ll take any day o fthe week. I think most of my clients are appreciative but they have too many other issues to deal with before realizing it!
Chris
April 19th, 2007
I think your use of “disinterested” is perfectly acceptable, in spite of what some curmudgeon at Washington State University says:
http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/disinterested
Erin
April 19th, 2007
I have another type of client - The Stalker.
There are no pros for this one - only cons. It is the extreme version of the Always Urgent Client. They call incessantly, send multiple emails about the same issue, and generally behave in an extremely obsessive manner. The only way to deal with them is to fire him/her as a client.
This happened to me last year, and the client was a woman that thought the world revolved around her. After 8 crazy sounding voice-mails in one day (I work from home in graphic design), my husband confirmed my belief that she was way off her rocker. That and the 10 emails she sent me that day about a minor issue that she was having a major mental breakdown over (sentence change on her website), I got rid of her.
No client is worth that kind of harassment! Luckily I’ve only had one so far!
Erin McCall
Sunlit Media | Bright Ideas by Design
http://www.sunlit-media.com
matt
April 19th, 2007
“…believes that the price you first give is just a starting point for negotiations.”
this isn’t a belief, it’s a fact.
welcome to capitalism; enjoy your stay.
Luke
April 21st, 2007
Jack,
Thanks. Really. It’s so nice to know that while often working alone, we’re not alone in dealing with people.
One client type that is encountered occasionally, which is kind of a mix, is what I call the “Brown Eyes” client.
You know the type. The kind that has an extremely urgent deadline, like Monday and it’s Friday afternoon. Needs some 30 hours worth of work, and “doesn’t care what it costs” when you tell them your rates, including weekend “emergency” rates.
So you quote them real quick, then they go, “Well I’m sure it’s worth it but I only have $500!”
Yeah, OK. Good luck finding something for that that meets your deadline.
Luisa
April 24th, 2007
I came back to this page because I had a friend who needs a website for his band, and asked me “How difficult is it to make a webpage?”.
In turn, since he is the guitarist of the band, I asked: “how hard is it to play a guitar?”.
He replied with “Oh, playing a guitar is really difficult, web design, can’t be that difficult…
..
The idea!
I don’ .. see … how it is so difficult to understand… there are good and bad guitarists, correct? I’m sure he understands that! In the same way, there are good and bad web designers.
So… I just told him, since it can’t be that difficult, he should just go ahead and try to design a page himself.
Best of luck for him.
Can Ertem
April 26th, 2007
ah thats the story of my life
Ken
April 27th, 2007
this is a great site. you make some really good points here. nice stuff.
too “Luisa” ^^^.
coming from someone that has studied classical guitar for several years ( 18 years ), and web design ( 9 years ), and programming ( 10 years ), and owns his own business doing so. I can tell you in fact, designing a good web site is not nearly as difficult as playing an instrument very well.
sorry to bust your bubble.
that should be your next topic on here, it’s one thing to label clients, but what about the people that do the work?
cheers,
me
April 27th, 2007
Ken:
I think you yourself give away your bias by stating that you’ve studied one for 18 years, and the other for only 10. All things being equal, it’s only natural that where you are after 8 supplementary years is more difficult.
That being said, I do play an instrument as well, and I find it difficult to compare the two. They are different faculties.
But I say this: in my equally decade long career of web development, I’ve gone from naive to hardened to sophisticated. And these days, few are the pages I see that have code that I consider good and clean. Even fewer are the sites that I look at and think are as good as what my graphics guy produces.
Web design is text based redaction so the entry level is extremely low, but that really doesn’t mean anyone can make *good* pages.
Joe
April 27th, 2007
Great analysis, Jack!
I think you should add a sub-section to “The Get-a-Good-Deal Client” called “Shameless-Manipulator” client.
Fingers in too many pies. Contacts everywhere. And always willing to get everything for free if you appear gullible enough. They typically say: “I know XYZ big-shot, I run n corporations and I have N projects waiting - but all that only if you give me a 60% discount - come on, don’t tell me you don’t use the latest pirated Dreamweaver. Of course everyone does. And you will surely have templates ready as well. Don’t con me. You can finish this work in half-a-day. If we were to charge like you, we would have been living in mansions. blah blah” And then when you finally finish the project and ask for that last 10-25%, they’ll take you for a beer or a burger (depending on their estimate of your straightforwardness and your perceived value) at the latest hip joint and try for one last time to skip that payment. They’ll talk about your hopes and aspirations, your beliefs, your “core values” in life, your ambitions, crap! All for that last instalment. It need not be big money. Even $100-$200 is enough incentive for that kind of behavior.
Luckily, as with many here, I had to face such specimens only a few times. Now, the moment I realize someone is roughly around that area, I make a quick excuse and get out for good - “urgent work” or “too many projects”.
There will be at least one hour-long bargain which will involve “society”, “principles”, “practices”, “oh! come on!” and what not.
I recommend the same strategy - just get the hell out of there.
Safest.
My $0.02.
Joe