Comments on: Handling Client Challenges

By: Bunny's Reads: For On The Coffee Break | Bunny got Blog

Bunny's Reads: For On The Coffee Break | Bunny got Blog — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 22:20:42 +0000

[...] authors. Business women and entrepreneurial women who want to share informative articles such as handling client challenges, or The Do’s and Don’ts for a Mommy Biz Chick [...]

By: Lori

Lori — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 15:52:31 +0000

Thanks for commenting, Laurie! That is a temptation, but drawing boundaries now really does establish you as a professional much faster. You’re right about the doormat!

By: Laurie/Halo Secretarial

Laurie/Halo Secretarial — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 04:10:58 +0000

Thanks for this great post! I’m just starting out and sometimes it’s tempting to take everything that comes along, but I know that some jobs just aren’t worth the stress. The employer clearly wants a “regular” employee (and a doormat style one at that!)

By: Lori

Lori — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 17:44:11 +0000

Honestly? Any client who would fuss that much or demand constant contact is not someone I care to do business with. This woman was not given my cell phone number, though she tried like hell to get it. When I said I’d be out of the office and why and she STILL called constantly, I knew boundaries weren’t something she honored.

By: Devon Ellington

Devon Ellington — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 15:32:46 +0000

I have it in the contract that I do not IM and that the phone is off when I’m working. I check for messages twice a day. I am not available at will on the phone. Email is always the best way to reach me.

I do not explain myself to clients as to why I am not available or out of town. “I”m booked” is my response, and if they want to know with what, I respond, “That does not concern you.”

I’ve learned — the hard way — to put most of these types of aggravations into the contract and then point out they signed off on it if they get huffy.

Usually, they don’t pay enough to make the aggravation worth it. The clients who pay the best are usually the most respectful of your freelance life.

By: Lori

Lori — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 14:32:49 +0000

You’re welcome, Julie! And thanks, Bridget, for inviting me to post!

I’m sort of the sole bread winner here, too. We work on separate finances, so all I make pays half the bills and all my kid’s expenses at college. No ex-husband help, either.

If she sucks up a ton of your time, dump her. If she’s simply annoying, that’s workable. You know your own threshold!

By: Julie Roads

Julie Roads — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 13:02:29 +0000

Lori – this post is so excellent. I currently have a client who needs me to tell her 50 times a day how wonderful she is. I think what bothers me the most is that she doesn’t even listen when I give her positive feedback…it’s all about her, and I’m about to toss her out the door.
Still, as a the sole bread winner for my family, I find that somethings have to be swallowed so that my family can eat. Like everything, it’s a balance game! Thanks for writing this post!
Julie