Client management

Via Adverbatims, a real gem of a site, I found this quote:#381– "If I give you approval, what can I still change?"(Client, Marketing Manager) Clients aren’t the only people who say funny things, but the above quote cracked me up. I’ve run into clients who’ve made some pretty interesting demands over the years. Once, when […]

Via Fast Company’s Innovation blog, I found the top 5 ways to thank your customers.* I’d like to draw your attention to #3: 3. Use your data base for them, not against them. Select a loyal customer at random and surprise them with a free gift or a discount. Refrain from congratulating your customers for

You’re in the middle of a meeting with a prospective client. You want this client’s business so bad it hurts. But the prospect has asked the million dollar question: "Who are your clients and what have you done for them?" It’s tempting to rattle off the names of your clients, the problems they faced and

Via Christopher Hawkins, I found this post on firing 11 different kinds of clients. I especially liked his advice about the "Slow Pay" client who doesn’t pay on time. As I’ve mentioned before, I don’t tolerate clients who miss payment deadlines. I have a pretty strict process that I follow when a client doesn’t pay.

At any given time, consultants face a ton of deadlines. These range from the minor to the major: Answering a ringing telephone Responding to incoming emails Sending out replies to requests for information Putting together quotes and RFPs Meeting project milestones and so on When you’re dealing with a client, though, is it ever okay

Firing your customers can be the most freeing and profitable decision you ever make. If you haven’t seen some of the real life comments in "Have you ever fired a client?", take a look now. According to a comment from Bob the Builder (cute nickname, Bob): You can usually tell at the outset who’s going

Consultants rarely get paid 100% upfront. In most cases, consultants take a small deposit, then invoice at key milestones. But what do you do if a client doesn’t pay? Tips for managing deadbeat clients Send the invoice again with a reminder. It’s possible someone lost track of it. Charge interest on overdue accounts — for

For all the tips on how to become a consultant, there’s nothing,quite like a story from someone who’s actually made the leap. Dan Lockton has a field report from his recent time in the trenches as a consultant in industrial design.   In his report, he notes a key reason that many clients turn to

Yesterday, I mentioned that keeping on task is easier when you have something to motivate you. Another trick you can use is artificial deadlines. Even when you have your month stretching out before you, put deadlines in your proposals. Tell clients when they can expect work from you. This helps in two ways. First, it

Following this week’s posts on negotiating, I stumbled across a post from Tom Chandler, at the Copywriter Underground. He wrote about how to negotiate your freelance fees without turning into a jerk. (Okay, he didn’t say jerk, but I don’t want some of my more conservative readers to give up at the headline.) Of all