I already told you how to be a perfect client, but some people think perfection’s impossible. Pierre Corneille even said, “We never taste happiness in perfection, our most fortunate successes are mixed with sadness.” That sounds like a cop out, and probably is, but the point is that we might need to adjust. If you can’t be perfect, at least don’t be the worst. Don’t be any of the below things, please and thank you and good luck.
1. Subjective, vague feedback.
Providing unhelpful, subjective feedback such as “make this font bigger.” It’s difficult when someone thinks they are a designer, instead of focusing on bigger picture stuff for which we need their input, like the mission of the brand, trajectory of the campaign. If anything, it’s much more productive to hear why they don’t like something, not only to allow for us to make strategic edits but also to prevent similar feedback in the future.
2. Unreasonable expectations.
Too many times clients want champagne on a beer budget. There are so many reasons that working with a small, boutique firm can be better for your business than a larger agency, but sometimes seeing and accepting limitation is fundamental to a beneficial working relationship. Especially if the limitations are monetary. Digital advertising requires money–or time, which is money. To compete in today’s market, you need a real budget and realistic expectations of what that budget can do. We’ve come across clients that love their product so much “it should sell itself.” Whether consulting for individuals, small businesses or multinationals, it is important to address what they can get with their spend, how long of a period it will take, and the limitations it places on determining success. And it will, but only if people know about it. With lower spends, it is also hard for us to analyze results properly to make a strong recommendation whether certain media is worth the investment or not. It all goes back to setting realistic goals, and understanding that in order to see a return, you need to put a proper investment in marketing. You get what you pay for, so make sure you are paying for what you want.
3. Unrealistic timelines.
The top action I label as “difficult” from my perspective as community manager, is changing tasks and adding necessities super last minute. I think we can handle anything a client wants, but if they do things last minute then we have to scramble and put other things aside in order to get it done and not disappoint. Which puts us in bad positions.
4. Ambiguous goals
We can’t give you what you want if you don’t know what you want. Before even considering how to implement a campaign, you must nail down the KPIs and make sure the team is aligned on the how and why and what.
5. Lack of trust.
There’s a reason you hired us, and it’s because we’re good at what we do. Micro-managing and questioning every step of the way is more work for you and more work for us. The more time we’re dealing with you, the less time we’re devoting to accomplishing our goals. Be patient, be kind, and just trust me.
BONUS TIP: How to Win Back Our Favor
Be clear about what went wrong and how to prevent it; be understanding and responsive and resilient. Acknowledge where there’s room for improvement, listen to our recommendations, and take action on them. Actions speak louder than words, so stick to your promises and move forward. If that doesn’t work, throwing money at the situation might help. Dolla dolla bill, y’all.
