Wednesday, February 03, 2010
What to Do When the Client Is Wrong
FreelanceFolder: "Sooner or later most freelancers will have the pleasure of working with a client who seems to have forgotten why they hired you in the first place. This client may ignore or overrule all of your recommendations and even dictate decisions on the project that you, as the experienced professional, are certain will be detrimental to its overall success. Despite your objections, explanations and warnings, the client steamrolls the project toward something less than what your normal standards would require, all the while assuring you that they have a better idea and understanding of what their project needs than you do."
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2 comments:
This would be a good assessment to try in an educational setting as well. Mainly for students' personal enlightenment. I feel like once they understand themselves a bit better, the ability to collaborate and work in a team would become even better.
The client is never wrong, as long as the check is going to clear. If they're not going to pay then there's a possibility that they might be in error, but until then all that's happening is that they're changing their mind, probably racking up a stack of change orders, and adding to what you'll get paid in the end. Until you're at the point of being either independently wealthy or ready to retire you really can't afford to tell a client that they're wrong without another one waiting to hire you. You can tell them that you recommend against their decision, you can inform them of the likely outcomes of their choices, but in the end they're the ones with the money and they're not going to cost you any cash in their short-sightedness.
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