032: 5 Awkward Client Situations + How to Handle Them

Regardless of what type of design work you offer and how much experience you have, you’re always subject to getting in sticky situations with clients. Most of the time you’re left feeling uncomfortable or flat out awkward when these happen, but at the end of the day, it’s all about how you handle them.

Kory here! I know I’ve had my fair share of awkward and just plain not fun situations with clients over the past five years of running my business, and I would have given anything to have someone else’s advice on how to handle each one of them while they were happening. So, in today’s episode, we’re going to talk about the 5 most common awkward client situations and how to best handle them.

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1. The client hasn’t paid their invoice

Without a doubt this is one situation that I think all designers will find themselves in at one point or another, even if the other ones we talk about never happen. In fact, as of recording this one of the ladies in our mastermind group brought up that she was dealing with this exact thing. It’s so frustrating when this is happening to you, especially when you really just want to get paid and move on.

How to handle this

Unless you’re interested in taking legal action, one of the only things you can do here is to simply follow up. I think it’s a great idea to start with this even if you do want to take legal action because often times it comes down to the client simply not having seen the invoice for one reason or another.

We both recommend reminding your client in the follow up email that the unpaid invoice is holding up the project (either you can’t get started or can’t send them their final files). When you send a second follow up email, mention the late fees that you have outlined in your contract. Then in your last follow up email, point out that you haven’t heard from them since X date, remind them that this is holding up the project, and mention when the late fees will kick in.

2. Client requests a refund, but you can’t grant it

I’d say it’s probably pretty obvious why this one is so awkward, right? Maybe you spent the money already or your contract mentions you don’t do refunds, but when a client requests it… boy, does that leave you feeling a little uneasy. Not only that, but this is a super sticky situation because it could lead to a whole new side of your client coming out. Krista has actually experienced a client disputing the charges with PayPal and their bank, and I’ve experienced a client threaten to take me to court over a refund.

How to handle this

As long as the project hasn’t totally gone south, it’s worthwhile to start by trying to get everything back on the right foot. Start by asking your client what’s causing the frustration and how you can correct things.

If you already delivered files or done work on the project, respectfully refer your client back to the contract that they signed. This where you’ll want to know that your contract is air tight legally because if you’ve just copied and pasted or made up your own terminology, your client might see through it. At some point, though, you have to consider if it’s really worth the fight. Sometimes it’s just easier to grant the refund and move on with your project.

3. You get feedback you don’t like or don’t agree with

If you haven’t dealt with this yet, consider yourself lucky. We had this happen to us on a project around the time of recording this episode, and while it was incredibly frustrating, we ultimately decided that it wasn’t worth the fight to try to get the client to see things our way.

How to handle this

The first thing you can try is to explain the strategy that went into your decisions. By educating your client a little bit on this, your experience, and reminding them of their goals, you’re much more likely to get them to come around and change their mind on how they want something on their site. However, remember to be open to what they’re saying to you. Nothing would be more frustrating to the client than you refusing to make changes based on feedback simply because you didn’t like it.

4. A potential client says you’re too expensive

We talked about this a little bit in EP 020, but we know that the initial reaction most designers have here is to feel frustrated and immediately want to start defending your prices. It’s hard not to automatically take a defensive stance here, but instead of doing that, it’s important to open the doors for communication and really try to see why they’re saying this.

How to handle this

If your client is saying you’re too expensive because they just don’t have the budget to work with you, remind yourself that they aren’t trying to be rude. Krista and I both have created custom packages with fewer pieces so that we can still help the client get what they need while on a budget. If you aren’t willing to do that or work for less, respond respectfully and refer them to a few other designers with lower price points.

However, if they just aren’t willing to pay what you’re worth, that’s a total bummer. There are a lot of people like this, and honestly, this is a huge red flag to us. If this is the vibe we’re getting from a potential client, we simply respond respectfully that we aren’t able to be flexible with our prices and refer them to other designers with lower price points.

5. Client wants more work, but you don’t want to continue your relationship

Similarly to the client requesting a refund, this situation is super awkward because it’s hard to figure out the right thing to say. It’s even more awkward because they obviously don’t feel the same about the project and relationship as you do. However, if you feel the project hasn’t gone smoothly, it’s totally normal to not want to continue the relationship with more work.

How to handle this

Whatever you do, don’t throw them or their project under the bus. It’s not okay to get defensive or aggressive here. Instead, you can respectfully let them know that you’re not available for more work. This is the best way to avoid telling a lie or letting them know that you thought they were awful to work with. Be sure to refer them to a few other designers that you trust with their project, and if you really didn’t like the client, you may give those designers a heads up on what’s coming their way.

Action Items:

• Create a library of canned responses for the 5 situations we’ve covered today
• If you get stuck in a different sticky situation:
  • Take a deep breath and give yourself time to cool down
  • Write your response with a level head
    • Consider getting a peer to check over your email
  • Let it go and move on

Resource:

• Email Scripts for Designers – Get my email scripts + more in the Polished Designer Toolkit (get 15% off by using the code ‘podcast’ at checkout)

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