by Leo Wiles
20 May 2015
Dear Rachel and Leo, I’m at my wits end with a particular client who won’t make up their mind. They’re happy to receive my emails and say they’re interested but when it comes down to it they always leave me in no man’s land for weeks at a time or change their mind at the last minute over content packages and or stories we’ve agreed on. Richard
An indecisive client who keeps you hanging is the worst. The quick answer to your question is to avoid frustration by dumping his or her sorry arse (and spending your time proactively seeking a more professional client). Sadly however, the reality often is that we’re stuck in our industry with old workhorses who will die in harness rather than quit. It’s up to you to learn how to work around their various foibles, and here are my top tips:
Tantrums don’t work. If your client behaves like a child and often throws a wobbler then treat them at their emotional age of 6 and offer just two choices. Learning this saved me a lot of heartache with one particular editor, who kept stalling as he was too overwhelmed when there was too much choice.
Give them a deadline. When you pitch, explain below that given them time sensitive nature of the feature or blog post they need, you’ll be back in touch in a few days. Call and if they’re still umming and ahhing thank them for their time and take it off the table.
Make it crystal clear. Ask to hear what he or she is thinking. That way you can try to work it out together once you understand which part of your offer isn’t working for them. Something along the lines of: “I’d love to hear your thoughts on X” clarify it. And, “So what you’re saying is XYZ” then helps you work out the solution.
Present it as a fait accompli. If you’ve been working for a client for a long time, it can reassure them when you pitch in a way that suggests it’s already in the pipeline, ie: “Dear Paul, here’s the next round of story ideas for the following quarter. If you’d like any changes, please let me know as of Friday. If I don’t hear from you I’ll consider it green-lit and will proceed. All the best, X”.
Have patience, grasshopper. A client’s indecisiveness may be coming from fear of making a bad decision as they’re too junior, under pressure or are dealing with a range of issues they need to lock down first. (Like budget, story alternatives, whether everyone at the company agrees you’re the best person for the job.)
Spell it out. Be clear about what you are offering and what they’ll get for their money. That way if the real roadblock is explaining your offer to their superior they’ll be more confident in understanding and supporting your idea instead of looking at their shoes and failing to represent your award winning story idea in its proper light.
Erring on the side of caution. Make sure your client’s not dragging their feet due to one of the three D’s: Depression, Death or Divorce. If they are, perhaps shift your focus to a colleague or get them on the phone and then confirm in writing the actions you plan to take, while CC’ing in your old contact.
Bite the bullet. Rather than ignore the elephant in the corner it can be helpful to acknowledge their indecisiveness by saying something like, “It seems to me that you may have reservations about X”, or “Is there something you’re not sure about that I can help clear up?” That way if there is an easy hitch, hopefully you can resolve it then and there and get moving rather than stall.
Have you played Jedi mind tricks on an indecisive client – or worked out a no-fail way to get them to the table? We’d love to hear from you in the comments.
