Comments on: How Do You Deal With Flakey Clients? http://www.writingwhitepapers.com/blog/2007/09/19/flakes/ Everything about writing and marketing white papers Wed, 08 Feb 2012 14:41:05 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.1 By: marie http://www.writingwhitepapers.com/blog/2007/09/19/flakes/#comment-60024 marie Mon, 11 Aug 2008 14:41:49 +0000 http://www.writingwhitepapers.com/blog/2007/09/19/flakes/#comment-60024 Ha ha hah! Seoalligator's comment is direct insight into the flakey, non-proofreading soul we are all so curious about! Ha ha hah! Seoalligator’s comment is direct insight into the flakey, non-proofreading soul we are all so curious about!

]]> By: seoalligator http://www.writingwhitepapers.com/blog/2007/09/19/flakes/#comment-58354 seoalligator Fri, 18 Jan 2008 21:54:23 +0000 http://www.writingwhitepapers.com/blog/2007/09/19/flakes/#comment-58354 I myself for a client and the customer. Such problems do not) I myself for a client and the customer. Such problems do not)

]]> By: Rosa http://www.writingwhitepapers.com/blog/2007/09/19/flakes/#comment-37276 Rosa Sun, 21 Oct 2007 05:36:24 +0000 http://www.writingwhitepapers.com/blog/2007/09/19/flakes/#comment-37276 I am a freelance writer and I couldn't see how anyone could put up with this. Oh, I loved the little link at the bottom of the post that let's people know how to fire clients from hell.lol. I am a freelance writer and I couldn’t see how anyone could put up with this. Oh, I loved the little link at the bottom of the post that let’s people know how to fire clients from hell.lol.

]]> By: Doug Rosbury http://www.writingwhitepapers.com/blog/2007/09/19/flakes/#comment-35554 Doug Rosbury Mon, 01 Oct 2007 15:46:18 +0000 http://www.writingwhitepapers.com/blog/2007/09/19/flakes/#comment-35554 This is a classic situation. You can't change others but you can change your attitude toward them. Be tolerant and realize that they too are having problems. Be kind in the face of this difficulty. You're here to learn to rise above your own self and to not be affected by the problems of others. Why do I have to tell you this? You should know it already. When something is inevitable, Relax and don't get uppity over it. Do your job With patience and tolerance and compassion. Get on with it and stop complaining. Doug This is a classic situation. You can’t change others but you can change your attitude toward them. Be tolerant and realize that they too are having problems. Be kind in the face of this difficulty. You’re here to learn to rise above your own self and to not be affected by the problems of others. Why do I have to tell you this? You should know it already. When something is inevitable, Relax and don’t get uppity over it. Do your job With patience and tolerance and compassion. Get on with it and stop complaining. Doug

]]> By: disc jockey http://www.writingwhitepapers.com/blog/2007/09/19/flakes/#comment-35553 disc jockey Mon, 01 Oct 2007 15:18:03 +0000 http://www.writingwhitepapers.com/blog/2007/09/19/flakes/#comment-35553 Sorry, I am late in responding. I had to give careful thought to this very ticklish issue. Finally, my take is this. If I depend on this guy for a significant portion of my income, I put up with his behavior till such time that I can do without him. On the other hand, there are helpless buyers who have no option but to depend on a supplier who behaves like this. The same logic works here too. Human beings are difficult to understand. I suppose that at the end of the day, it is one's selfish concerns that dictate the response. Sorry, I am late in responding. I had to give careful thought to this very ticklish issue.

Finally, my take is this. If I depend on this guy for a significant portion of my income, I put up with his behavior till such time that I can do without him. On the other hand, there are helpless buyers who have no option but to depend on a supplier who behaves like this. The same logic works here too.

Human beings are difficult to understand. I suppose that at the end of the day, it is one’s selfish concerns that dictate the response.

]]> By: Doug Rosbury http://www.writingwhitepapers.com/blog/2007/09/19/flakes/#comment-34659 Doug Rosbury Fri, 21 Sep 2007 16:01:28 +0000 http://www.writingwhitepapers.com/blog/2007/09/19/flakes/#comment-34659 Mr. Grigg said it better than I could have, so why am I butting in? I'm not a professional writer, but I guess I am an amateur psychologist. People become flaky due to a lack of education. So it falls to us who are with it to educate them or at least to give them an experience of rejection so that they might be encouraged to examine themselves. Is there a need for an educational forum to help these people? How about a "white paper" to be required reading for prospective clients? This would be a prerequisite to client status. It seems to be needed in my opinion. Or a technique such as tough love intervention? Pure honesty might wake them up. The field of writing needs to be revamped because client and practitioner are a unit. Writers can't afford a superiority attitude if anyone can. The humility to realize the necessity to help prospective clients Would go a long way toward better working relations between writer and client.------ Doug Rosbury Mr. Grigg said it better than I could have, so why am I butting in? I’m not a
professional writer, but I guess I am an amateur psychologist. People become flaky due to a lack of education. So it falls to us who are with it to educate them or at least to give them an experience of rejection so that they might be encouraged to examine themselves. Is there a need for an educational
forum to help these people? How about a “white paper” to be required reading for prospective clients? This would be a prerequisite to client status. It seems to be needed in my opinion. Or a technique such as tough love intervention?
Pure honesty might wake them up. The field of writing needs to be revamped
because client and practitioner are a unit. Writers can’t afford a superiority attitude if anyone can. The humility to realize the necessity to help prospective clients Would go a long way toward better working relations
between writer and client.—— Doug Rosbury

]]> By: Ted Grigg http://www.writingwhitepapers.com/blog/2007/09/19/flakes/#comment-34654 Ted Grigg Fri, 21 Sep 2007 15:30:38 +0000 http://www.writingwhitepapers.com/blog/2007/09/19/flakes/#comment-34654 Boy, haven’t we all had our share of stories to tell about the problem you bring up. But most of my problems have to do with prospects rather than existing clients. I tend to lose the weak clients early in the game because I refuse to work with people who do not understand, and hence pay, for the expertise I bring. When making recommendations, I expect either approval or a rational discussion about why not. And good clients open up and tell me why a given recommendation will not work for them. And you know what, 90% they have a good reason. The other 10% play the game by making you guess. Those 10% fall off my radar in less than one tenth of a second. Consulting and creative assignments require clear client direction and a trust relationship. Life is too short to waste time on any other kind of relationship for our type of work. Insecure clients play games with us by canceling meetings at the last second or failing to return calls. I just neutralize those relationships by walking away from them if the offense becomes habitual. Some clients treat their own employees the same way applying subtle forms of intimidation or simple neglect. Respect must come from both sides of the table to build an effective working relationship. Boy, haven’t we all had our share of stories to tell about the problem you bring up.

But most of my problems have to do with prospects rather than existing clients. I tend to lose the weak clients early in the game because I refuse to work with people who do not understand, and hence pay, for the expertise I bring. When making recommendations, I expect either approval or a rational discussion about why not. And good clients open up and tell me why a given recommendation will not work for them.

And you know what, 90% they have a good reason. The other 10% play the game by making you guess. Those 10% fall off my radar in less than one tenth of a second.

Consulting and creative assignments require clear client direction and a trust relationship. Life is too short to waste time on any other kind of relationship for our type of work.

Insecure clients play games with us by canceling meetings at the last second or failing to return calls. I just neutralize those relationships by walking away from them if the offense becomes habitual. Some clients treat their own employees the same way applying subtle forms of intimidation or simple neglect. Respect must come from both sides of the table to build an effective working relationship.

]]> By: Doug Rosbury http://www.writingwhitepapers.com/blog/2007/09/19/flakes/#comment-34596 Doug Rosbury Fri, 21 Sep 2007 04:20:36 +0000 http://www.writingwhitepapers.com/blog/2007/09/19/flakes/#comment-34596 Here's a case in point (windows xp installation for those who have not do it) Make sense? of course not and this is the kind of flakiness that I see all throughout my web surfing. Why is it that people cannot proof read? I suggest it is because they don't recognize their errors as being errors. It is error prone mentality and an unwillingness to question oneself due to an inflated sense of self importance that endows us with stupid logic.---Doug Here’s a case in point (windows xp installation for those who have not do it)
Make sense? of course not and this is the kind of flakiness that I see all
throughout my web surfing. Why is it that people cannot proof read? I suggest it is because they don’t recognize their errors as being errors. It is error prone mentality and an unwillingness to question oneself due to an
inflated sense of self importance that endows us with stupid logic.—Doug

]]> By: kim http://www.writingwhitepapers.com/blog/2007/09/19/flakes/#comment-34583 kim Fri, 21 Sep 2007 02:53:12 +0000 http://www.writingwhitepapers.com/blog/2007/09/19/flakes/#comment-34583 hi.sounds great to wake up in the early morning. i tyr to do it everyday,but the time i wake is 9 AM. That sucks... hi.sounds great to wake up in the early morning.
i tyr to do it everyday,but the time i wake is 9 AM.
That sucks…

]]> By: Doug Rosbury http://www.writingwhitepapers.com/blog/2007/09/19/flakes/#comment-34527 Doug Rosbury Thu, 20 Sep 2007 18:50:44 +0000 http://www.writingwhitepapers.com/blog/2007/09/19/flakes/#comment-34527 My heart goes out to you folks who have to depend on dysfunctional people for your livelihood. I think you just have to refuse to work with them and simply bolster your faith that you will be blessed with good clients . Your faith will save you please believe me. fond regards, Doug Rosbury My heart goes out to you folks who have to depend on dysfunctional people for your livelihood. I think you just have to refuse to work with them and simply bolster your faith that you will be blessed with good clients . Your faith will save you please believe me. fond regards, Doug Rosbury

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