dealing with clients. it comes with the job. more so in my job as a software project manager. sometimes, i feel that we get paid more because of this responsibility over our planning and management tasks.
i have seen different versions but for this purpose, i just want to categorize them into 2: the (seemingly) perfect clients and the i-want-to-strangle-you-but-cant clients.
the perfect clients. these are the people who are very kind and generous that sometimes you can’t help but ask what you have done to deserve them! other than the attitude, they allow for you to do what you are being paid to do. they do not micromanage. they provide you with enough room to make decisions while not losing sight of what their product goals are. these are the clients that you want to work with for the rest of your life and welcome them as part of your family! these clients may get angry but they are normally justified in blowing their top. and if they do, they get right back to business and try to help out fix the issues (where they can help).
and there are the i-want-to-strangle-you-but-cant clients. these come in different forms.
there are chameleon types who are one-minute very nice and suddenly utterly vicious. and that is with no provocation. there are also the i-know-it-all clients who dont-know-anything-at-all normally coming in different gradients. there are clients who are so close-minded that you need all your wits about you just to stay sane.
and how do i deal with clients? i simply believe in the maxim: patience is a virtue.
but patience does not mean being a push-over. patience means taking your time to make them see how things are and how things should be done.
and if push comes to shove, make them see the folly of their mistakes – firsthand.
so far, my approach has been working. or so i think ….
my take 