Clients’ Wrong Perceptions: unstable ideas make you lose money.

June 23rd,2009

Sometimes happens your clients look at your job in a different way.
In that case you have to ask yourself:
1. Am I wrong?
2. Are they really the clients I want?

Well, relax. You are always right! The case I’m talking about is the answer to the point 2! Let’s make it easy.

Your husband/wife/mummy/flatmate ask you to buy some juice. You go to the supermarket and, while looking to the juice shelf, you decide to buy Coop-Orange juice (the one in a plastic bottle). You go back home and put the brand-new Coop-Orange juice in the fridge. 10 minutes later (while you are laying on the sofa) your husband/wife/mummy/flatmate tells you: “What is it?”. You kindly answer back: “The Orange juice you asked for…!”. -”Coop? What’s wrong with you? Coop it’s a cheap brand”. You say: “Ok, sorry. But next time tell me you hate Coop”.
1 WEEK LATER. Your husband/wife/mummy/flatmate ask you to buy a Yoga juice. You go to the supermarket and, while looking to the juice shelf, you decide to buy Yoga-Orange juice in a plastic bottle. At home, some minutes later… “What is it?”. You kindly answer back: “The Orange juice you asked for…!”. -”Orange juice? What’s wrong with you? I prefer RED Orange juice”. You say: “Uhm. Ok, but this is a Yoga-Orange juice in a plastic bottle!” - “It doesn’t matter. I asked for a Red Orange juice”.
2 WEEKS LATER. Your husband/wife/mummy/flatmate ask you to buy a Yoga-RED Orangejuice. You go to the supermarket and, sure of your choice, you buy a Yoga-Red Orange juice in a plastic bottle. “What is it?”. - “The Orange juice you asked for…!”. -”Ok. I think we are not able to communicate. I’m depressed since yesterday, I need some alcohol and ABOVE ALL I hate plastic bottle”. Here’s your face: -.-°

The story so far: You spent 9$ for 3 different orange juices, you spent 5 minutes talking with your husband/wife/etc. (+5 minutes in the supermarket) and YOU ARE FRUSTRATED.

Now, what about your job?
Yoga or Coop brand means WRONG TARGET; Orange juice or Red Orange juice means WRONG PRODUCT; plastic bottle means WRONG SALES CHANNEL. Alcohol instead of Orange juice means WRONG COMMUNICATION btw your client and you.
Husband/wife/mummy/flatmate means a client already in your portfolio.

If you are in a similar circumstance with a brand-new client it’s YOUR FAULT. You have to ask more in the first meeting.
If not, it’s your client fault. This usually happens when:

Too many persons are part of a meeting (too many points of view);
Your client change the brief during the project.

What to do:

Stop the project immediately and cross the client out from your contact list. (YOU’VE LOST JUST 9$+10MINUTES).
Freeze the project and wait for a new brief. After that, estimate a new budget for the job (including the work you already done). (YOU’LL BE FRUSTRATED CUZ YOU WILL BE UNDERPAID).
Freeze the project for a while, have a new meeting and buy him a bottle of alcohol!!! (YOU ARE LOOSING A LOT OF MONEY, TIME AND GOOD CLIENTS WHO ARE LOOKING FOR YOU).

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