Believe it or not, there is such a thing as a good client.
Bad clients are over-rated. They do not form a majority of your clientele base but the amount of energy they zapped from you and the pain they inflict are enough to send you reeling for years to come. Any experience with them always seemed to be blown out of proportion. I am not saying that they are harmless. On the contrary, bad clients are pain-in-the-you-know-where.
Working for them is a thankless job. Once you let your guard down. The one-two punch will threaten to rock the reputation of your organization you have tried so hard to build for years.
But let’s face it, most of our clients are just, well, normal.
They are not too vocal. They just want their job done. They just want a good price.
And because they are not too vocal, they are also not very generous with their compliments, testimonials, or recommendations. Nor are they interested to provide you with extensive feedback. I guess building a “meaningful relationship” is out of the question.
Good clients. Seriously, who doesn’t want them?
They are easy to work with not because they don’t have demands. They know exactly what they want and the fact that it is made known makes it easier for one to navigate processes and manage deliverables.
They are open to discussions and alternatives not because they are clueless but because they are always on the lookout for better solutions that will bring them closer to their goals and objectives.
They do not finger-point not because they are incapable of identifying errors. Much to our relief, they know exactly what is wrong but they treat us with enough trust to know that there must be a good reason for the mistake to happen and thus will seek to rectify the issues together with us professionally.
Good clients treat us with respect and trust. Good clients are not our clients. They are our partners.
I have to qualify the above by saying that respect and trust have to be earned. It is not an entitlement.
Working with our good clients, we have benefited so much and learned so much. The relationship is a very rewarding one and it leaves a very good after-taste that gets you so motivated to want to do better and work harder for them.
For those who are disillusioned by your encounters with those bad apples, please do not be.
Never let a bad client spoil your whole business experience. They are not worth the effort.
There will bound to be bad ones. If you have met them, deal with them professionally, and decide if they are still worth your trouble.
We always feel that our competitors may be a better fit for them.
So All Hail Good Clients!! We love you!!