Client Call
Freelancing exposes you to the many quirks of clients. Quirks you don't normally see when you're employed in a multinational agency where you're almost always shielded from stuff like that. But for the past 2 years, I've had my fill. And quite honestly, these oddities leave me more amused than pissed.
Let's round them up, shall we?
(note: not to start a gender issue, but all representations here are female --simply because I draw women better than men. :P)
The Control-crazed Client
This is the kind of client who's a bit confused about your freelance status. She's used to working with established agencies who are always there at her beck and call. And she expects so much more now that she's working with you. To her, being a freelancer means you're jobless. So you are essentially dependent on her. She gives you no respect and you must respect her for that. After all. You. Owe. Her...
The Clingy Cient
Probably dissed by her boss a million times, this poor sap relies on you for so many things. She asks for your opinion on strategies, events, even SKUs. She asks you out for coffee time and again and may have already gone the edge by telling you about her cheating husband. But tread carefully. Some clingy clients are downright devious deep inside. They cling to you because they know they can suck you dry.
The Clueless Client
She has no idea what she's doing, and it's not even because she's new on the job. Her favorite line is "I don't know." or "I'll get back to you." or "Let me discuss this with my boss." or "Bahala na si Batman." At crunch time, she second-guesses and name-drops her boss, you, the weather, God. She could be slow or just uninterested. Either way, she has a total lack of confidence and care that really tests your patience.
The Creative Client
Ah, this one is the bane of your existence. The one that's out for your job and paycheck. Days before she calls you in for a briefing, she already has a concept and an execution in mind --and you have to guess what it is! She's on fire --and you're not. You will never please her because she's way hotter than you. She's pretty sure you overcharge her because "your job is sooo easy".
Sadly, her so-called creativity eats up on the time she's supposed to be pouring into building strategies --which is her real job.
The Paniclient
My favorite! Reactionary true and through, she jumps like a firecracker whenever a competitor does something she didn't expect. During production, she'd call you 15 times a day within 10-minute intervals just to check if everything's ok. She calls past midnight during her needless worry-induced insomnia attacks. Your inbox messages all come from her. She wants action all the time. Being passive for half an hour means the end of the world is upon her precious career!!!
Oh there are dozens more and I'm sure I'll get to fill up this blog on the subject of client quirkiness alone. Annoying they may be, they're things you live with as a raketeer. Just think of them as regular visits to the circus. It can be fun, as long as you have popcorn.
I don't complain.
Much.
Let's round them up, shall we?
(note: not to start a gender issue, but all representations here are female --simply because I draw women better than men. :P)
This is the kind of client who's a bit confused about your freelance status. She's used to working with established agencies who are always there at her beck and call. And she expects so much more now that she's working with you. To her, being a freelancer means you're jobless. So you are essentially dependent on her. She gives you no respect and you must respect her for that. After all. You. Owe. Her...
Probably dissed by her boss a million times, this poor sap relies on you for so many things. She asks for your opinion on strategies, events, even SKUs. She asks you out for coffee time and again and may have already gone the edge by telling you about her cheating husband. But tread carefully. Some clingy clients are downright devious deep inside. They cling to you because they know they can suck you dry.
She has no idea what she's doing, and it's not even because she's new on the job. Her favorite line is "I don't know." or "I'll get back to you." or "Let me discuss this with my boss." or "Bahala na si Batman." At crunch time, she second-guesses and name-drops her boss, you, the weather, God. She could be slow or just uninterested. Either way, she has a total lack of confidence and care that really tests your patience.
Ah, this one is the bane of your existence. The one that's out for your job and paycheck. Days before she calls you in for a briefing, she already has a concept and an execution in mind --and you have to guess what it is! She's on fire --and you're not. You will never please her because she's way hotter than you. She's pretty sure you overcharge her because "your job is sooo easy".
Sadly, her so-called creativity eats up on the time she's supposed to be pouring into building strategies --which is her real job.
My favorite! Reactionary true and through, she jumps like a firecracker whenever a competitor does something she didn't expect. During production, she'd call you 15 times a day within 10-minute intervals just to check if everything's ok. She calls past midnight during her needless worry-induced insomnia attacks. Your inbox messages all come from her. She wants action all the time. Being passive for half an hour means the end of the world is upon her precious career!!!
Oh there are dozens more and I'm sure I'll get to fill up this blog on the subject of client quirkiness alone. Annoying they may be, they're things you live with as a raketeer. Just think of them as regular visits to the circus. It can be fun, as long as you have popcorn.
I don't complain.
Much.
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