Today we are going to talk about a couple things that you can do and things to keep in mind when working with demanding or difficult clients. So common issues with demanding clients, I didn't know there would be an extra cost, or can we have all the raw files? Or when will I get my photos? I need my photos. Now. I really don't like the way I look in any of my photos. My mom thinks our wedding photos are too artsy. Here's my Pinterest board. Can we get all of these done in our session? Those are just a few little things.
The first thing I think that can be really helpful is to have an FAQ button on your site, or a private FAQ link that you send to people in an email.
I don't have one right directly on my site anymore. But I still have one put together that I send people if they have questions that are fairly basic, and I have it as part of one of my email templates. So FAQs are super helpful. If you're getting the same question over and over and over again, then I definitely would consider putting that in some kind of thing that you can give to all of your clients when you first start working with them.
I've been asked in my coaching sessions, do I need a contract? And yes, that's the long and short answer. Yes, yes, you need a contract.
One of the things that a contract does for you is it outlines all of the deliverables.
Any expectations that your client has about when their photos are getting delivered, how many photos they're going to get, how much is it going to cost? How much does it cost? What happens if…all of that stuff should be answered in your contract.
Your contract can be something that you offer with your client to go over if they would like you to. I've done that a handful of times. It's not something that's super common but but if you feel like it will clear the air and help you out by all means, offer your client a 10 minute phone call and say, “Hey, I'll walk you through things I know this is a big investment. This is what this means. This is what happens with this…” and it usually goes a long way just to take that extra time.
Which brings me to my third suggestion for working with demanding clients: communication.
I know this is obvious, but I cannot stress enough how over communicating is better than under communicating. And sometimes it feels weird to over communicate. The clearer you can be in emails, on phone calls, in contracts, in outlines, before weddings in conversation, during the shoot, after the shoot… any kind of communication that you have with your client be extra, extra clear about what they can expect and what's going to happen next.
Pay attention to what your clients are asking for. If you start to see a pattern, and you keep rolling your eyes going, “why do people always ask me this?” there's a huge chance that it's not being answered on your website. It's not being answered in your first or second email to your client, you're not answering it and phone calls with your clients.
If people are asking a question over and over, it's because it's hard for them to find the answer.
One way to really avoid any kind of confusion or problems with your clients is to be clear. Clear communication, clear contract. Consider putting together an FAQ page and since it's the beginning of the year, just make a little note to yourself and just start keeping track of all the stuff that is redundant. See if by the end of March, you have some of the same questions from your clients because that'll inform what you need to fix on your website and what you need to fix in your emails and contracts.
