Some years ago, I covered a burial event at Modakeke, Osun state. I worked from morning till the end of the event at evening – from church service to the reception.
After the whole sèrèrè, the Baba liked all the pictures I took but insisted that he was going to select and pay for 10 pictures only out of over 300 pictures.
The craziest part was when he said that I must edit and print the 10 pictures that same day.
Because I was a JJC in business, he manipulated me so much. He frustrated every initial agreement we had. As much as I tried to help him see how unreasonable his demands were, he proved too difficult to be convinced by anyone.
I wanted to ‘change it’ for Baba, but I chose to behave like an ọmọlúàbí. After deducting my transport fare and other costs, my profit was just ₦200 for an 8-hour event. The payment was very small but the stress was premium.
Who no like better thing? We all wish for big-paying clients that won’t stress us at all. This is everybody’s perfect client; but clients like this do not always come.
Sometimes, you may have big-paying clients that will frustrate you. In fact, you may even regret collecting the offer.
They don’t believe in the thinking process. They don’t believe that some projects are more technical and require more in-depth research and time than others.
To them, there is no big deal in thinking. This is why they often give you unrealistic deadlines.
Because they think less and act more, they assume that you should understand everything they say, irrespective of how confusing it may be. They even get irritated when you ask them ‘too much’ questions for clarity’s sake.
They usually do not care whether or not you understand the project. They will give you the details of the whole project in less than 5 minutes and expect you to get straight down to business.
They give you strict instructions and samples to follow, yet they will want you to go outside the box.
According to them, the customer is always right. This is why a project that should not last up to a week can be dragged to five months. They keep requesting unreasonable corrections.
They are no-nonsense people and will never accept a single mistake from you. The craziest of them are those who tell you, “Am I not paying you?”
They are usually very confrontational and aggressive. Once they speak, their decision is final. They are very unstable. They tell you something this minute and another thing the next minute.
Sometimes, they hoard vital information from you and expect you to figure it out yourself. “I expect you to use your common sense.”
They are very bossy and love to take charge. If you are not careful, they can intimidate you. Because they are careless with words, don’t be surprised when they say words like “And you call yourself a graduate. And you call yourself a professional. And you call yourself a Christian.”
Because they are very egocentric, they will never accept or admit when they are wrong. Because they are very impatient, they will bombard you with phone calls, messages and emails.
They are always ready to fire you and may even threaten to terminate the project severally.
What if your breakthrough clients fall in this category? How do you win their hearts?
1. Have a written and signed agreement that contains all your terms and conditions.
2. Make it clear that you are on their side.
3. Be factual and brief. Compile all the facts you can and avoid too much talkie talkie.
4. Support all your opinions with accurate data.
5. Make an irresistible offer. If your offer isn’t irresistible, they will surely resist it.
6. Never argue with them. You can never win them, and that can be the end of the deal.
7. Always remain calm. Do not let their insensitive comments affect you or make you react negatively. Imagine you are the glass of water and your client is a small fire.
8. Be transparent in your actions.
9. Speak as clearly as possible, without jokes or sarcasm.
10. Reduce your mistakes to the barest minimum.
11. Never be tired of saying, “I’m sorry, Sir/Ma.” That is their mumu button. It helps them to temper down.
12. Offer assistance only when it is asked for. Do not go the extra mile if dem no send you.
13. Always be willing to walk away if the deal is not good for you.
© Kingsley Ndimele
Your Reliable Consultant