What’s on the iPod: Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For by U2
What a great weekend. It was hot and humid (that’s not the great part), but the stepdaughter is visiting, so we had a nice time. We went out for margaritas and dinner (in that order) Friday, then for tea/coffee on Saturday, then yesterday we went shopping. In between all that I managed to run errands and actually get to the garden! I transplanted some black-eyed susans because we finally got enough rain to dig the ground without a struggle. The garden is looking happy again, and the goldfinches are back and hanging from every seeded flower we own.
Today I have a white paper and a press release to finish. I stalled on Friday — completely out of energy and brain cells. Today I’ll chew six pieces of mint gum if it will keep me alert enough to put this draft together (peppermint gives you a bit of a mental boost). I also have a lunch date, and luckily the client call scheduled for the same time was canceled. These folks are coming from out of town and had their plans made already.
I’m feeling a bit unsettled about a particular client and how we communicate. She’s a go-getter, which I love. She’s also very vocal and not averse to giving you a dressing-down if she thinks you need it. I was a recipient to one of those, and while she may have seen things that justified it in her mind, I don’t intend to accept another one with the same dignity (she’s a client of a client). It does seem, however, that there are entirely too many projects going on at once and as a result, we’re (client and me) missing a few steps. That should be understandable given the sheer volume of things we’re working on.
However, the most recent notes from her are starting to make me uneasy. She was reminding me of something I didn’t finish. The reason — I’m waiting for feedback from other people and they’re not moving within her time frame. I’m frustrated too, but it’s my job to get them moving.
What concerns me is the impression this is leaving on the client’s client about me. I’m not one to miss deadlines. I’m not someone who leaves things unfinished. I’m on the ball. Yet I suspect she thinks the polar opposite of that right now. And if it’s her reminders of my duties that she’s viewing, she’d be right.
When I met her, I liked her instantly. I think the feeling was mutual. I think because we met (and embraced) after talking via phone and email that she’s been more patient than she may have been with others in the past (I’ve heard stories). But now her second, and even third impression of me is starting to be clouded by what she thinks is my dropping the ball on a number of occasions. Fact is there are times when you simply cannot get people to respond, and I won’t pester people who don’t answer three calls or emails. That doesn’t make them any happier about helping. So here we are — stuck in a holding pattern, and watching my reputation circle the drain.
I hope all isn’t lost in the reputation department. Here’s how I’ve communicated with her in the past, which may help alleviate those subsequent impressions:
Bulleted emails. Any time I sense a client getting annoyed, upset, tense, or pushy, I give them an email (before they ask for it) with the things-done and things-to-do outlined in bullet form. For some, that works wonders to make them feel they’re getting the attention they deserve.
Random communication. It may not be about the project at all, but often I’ll send a “Did you see this?” type of note with a relevant link. Clients want to know I’m thinking about them. It’s attention they’re paying for.
Foresee and respond. There are times I can see what’s coming, and it scores big brownie points to bring it up first and either suggest approaches or show some progress toward solving it.
Have another conversation. The problem with this particular client is the number of projects and people on the account. It’s so easy to miss important deadlines (or know that there is one) when you’re not having a one-on-one. While I don’t think my client would appreciate my doing so, I’d love to have a phone conversation or a face-to-face to get a better sense of where this client’s priorities lie. I won’t defend myself — that’s always wasted energy, in my opinion — but I will say that I need a clearer set of parameters and expectations. I can’t please if I don’t have all the details, including deadlines.
Have you ever made a bad impression? How did you turn it around? If you weren’t able to fix it, how would you do so in the future?
Absolutely love the new look.
I'm sure I've made a bad impression at some point. There are points where I've just had to cut bait.
In this case, I'd suggest a spread sheet with all the projects and all the deadlines, including the deadlines you're giving sources to get back to you so that you can get back to the client.
I'd have a conversation with this woman and be very up front about what you feel is going on, and offer solutions to mitigate the frustration on both sides. She's blunt — you can be, too.
What works for me nearly every time is picking up the phone and having a conversation.
Like you, Lori, I give regular updates, but sometimes you just sense in emails that a problem is brewing. I don't know the situation, but sometimes my client can help with the part getting stalled.
Go with your gut. It's seldom wrong.
I have a similar situation going on: I turned in a huge article with one missing piece. All along the way I'd told the editor about the trouble I was having getting that information (using bullet points in update e-mails just like you, Lori). When I sent in the article I reiterated that I was still actively trying to find those sources to add later. Instead of thanking me for sending 2500 words to work on while waiting for the missing links, she sent a terse e-mail reminding me how important the information was.
D'uh. I totally wanted to remind her about everything I'd already told her, but knew that wouldn't be helpful. (I did however point out that I'd already spent too much time fruitlessly chasing these iffy leads and could only afford to spend one more hour of time on it.)
The problem is, when you try to defend yourself by explaining why the piece is late or incomplete (despite saying upfront that you're still actively working on it), some people will assume you're making excuses.
"I've contacted over 20 companies to find an executive to answer these questions;no one has agreed to be interviewed," isn't an excuse. It's an explanation.
Matter-of-factly saying you're still waiting for Person A to provide the needed information is not shifting blame, it's saying you're in the same boat with the client or editor.
The editor in question always asks how many times I've tried contacting each person. I'm with you Lori – three tries and that's it. E-mail, phone, and then one last try. Nagging never works. Nor does forcing professional writers to account for every action. (It's totally passive-aggressive, but since this place requires weekly updates, I started including how much time I spent transcribing interviews just to remind her how much effort goes into each assignment.)
Thanks, Devon. 🙂 I love it, too.
I agree on the spreadsheet. We're spreadsheet-ed to our eyeballs right now, and there are just too many things going on at once. Mine is one small part of that effort. That doesn't make it any easier to get the info from the people in question. One contact flat-out refused to help with the additional info. I passed that info along. I have to honor that, as does the client.
Oh, you know me! Blunt is nothing I'm afraid of, and I think she'd appreciate it! Good suggestion.
Cathy, my gut has been uneasy about this entire relationship for a few months now. Factors beyond the client's client have tied my hands (at the client level), so I'm uneasy with putting too much billable time into chasing these people. But I'm going to take your advice one step further — I'm going to call the sources directly.
Paula, agreed. And if this person were an editor, I'd get no push-back on the "I tried three times" thinking. Alas, it's a business owner, and rarely do business owners think that something isn't going to happen because they asked. 😉