Comments on: How Do You Sell Your Ideas to a Difficult Client?

By: Zeus Packaging

Zeus Packaging — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 11:05:24 +0000

we are into web designing and things are very comlicated here, a client comes with a poor design and asks for help. a unique attractive design is created and eve1 is happy until the companies creative directory and marketing guys start meddling.
end result a even poor design than that was before

By: Cathy Anderson

Cathy Anderson — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 19:16:35 +0000

I had the same situation before with my client. All I did was explained to him why I did that kind of design and what’s the purpose of the graphics and blending of colors. It was like “change the color or make the image bigger” but before I do that I always explain my side but if unfortunately if he still doesn’t want it. No choice but to change it, afterall he is the boss.

By: AstucesWeb

AstucesWeb — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 13:19:20 +0000

It is always tricky to handle the difficult customers. You need a lot of patience and perseverance for this purpose. Knowledge of human psychology is required in dealing with them. They need to be handled just like stubborn kids. You need to be firm but not rude while handling them.

By: Nina

Nina — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 14:32:07 +0000

Sometimes the best thing is to actually give them what they want and make it just that little bit uglier than it should be… then go back to your idea and explain why yours is better. Some clients need to see an ugly idea before they realise why it is not the best choice.

If all else fails, there’s always http://www.cliencopia.com to vent…

By: Adam Messinger

Adam Messinger — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 17:54:48 +0000

In my experience, the key is knowing your craft and understanding why certain design rules and best practices exist. Be able to cite sources, statistics, and studies. Be able to tie that information back to a return on investment for your client. The message: good design makes money, and I (meaning you) am a font of information and experience regarding what makes for a good design. It's time consuming and won't always work, but it's been more successful for me than other approaches. Be very careful not to come across as too pedantic, and to keep the focus on how your design solution will make the client money. I suggest attempting this tactic by e-mail the first few times, so you can re-read and revise your comments before sending them. If possible, run your first few attempts by a non-designer and get their feedback. Finally, listen to your client. You may know more about design than they do, but they know more about their business than you do. If their target demographic is 50 to 75 years old, poorer eyesight could turn "make the logo bigger" into a perfectly reasonable request. For some good advice about selling quality design, see this bullet-point summary of a recent talk by Jeffrey Zeldman on the topic.

By: Brandorama

Brandorama — Thu, 23 Aug 2007 16:05:02 +0000

The best way to sell your ideas to a difficult client is to stay calm, focused and concise. One must know their design/brands before going into a meeting.

Understand your designs/brands origins. Why did you choose that colour? Style? Imagery? Size? What does it persnoally mean to you!

As long as you inform the client that designs/brands can be interpreted differently by everyone but share generic themes then you should be able to argue your case.

By: Speedlinking - 22 Aug 2007 | Best of Brett

Speedlinking - 22 Aug 2007 | Best of Brett — Thu, 23 Aug 2007 03:51:38 +0000

[...] come and seek your professional advice. Sometimes they will make it a nightmare dealing with [...]

By: Graphic Design Blog » How Do You Sell Your Ideas to a Difficult Client? « Graphic Design Blog, to improve myself and share my experience

Tue, 21 Aug 2007 11:49:41 +0000

[...] Graphic Design Blog » How Do You Sell Your Ideas to a Difficult Client?. [...]

By: JorgeGoyco

JorgeGoyco — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 05:52:16 +0000

Man, How perfect for this to come up today. Here’s what I got just a couple of hours ago:

“…we could use our logo as the main frame (really large)…”

and

“…I would think that turquoise and coral (or burgundy) colors might work well with the gray and gold of the logo more than the blue and green that you used in the prototype. What do you think?”

Frustrating.

I was hoping for some good answers on this post. Keep them coming. I’ve got to call the client tomorrow.

The truth is, they pay, so I’ll probably do what they want and use my proposed design for someone else.

Maybe I’ll be a little more aggressive with them this time. Maybe not.

Oh, they are always so proud of the final piece… but it’s not my design or my decisions.

By: JoeDrinker

JoeDrinker — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 01:38:02 +0000

It’s 2007, and I still get the “I think this item needs a starburst” comment. I know I can’t be the only one. These are the jobs that I try to suppress the grimace when they say “Feel free to use this one in your portfolio.” Um, no thanks.

There are some clients who will pick apart every design proposal, so I go in loaded for bear with examples and an open calendar. By the same token, I have several clients who sign off on my stuff without hesitation, which although flattering, tends to get us into trouble at the proof stage.