Making It: Clients and Snowflakes

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​If you haven’t noticed, everyone is different. There may be certain similarities in some things we like or personality traits, but for the most part, everyone is a unique and individual snowflake. This requires us to adapt to certain personality types when we’re interacting with clients. There are photographers out in the world that have a “my way or the highway” approach, and in doing this, they drive away a lot of business. If they had the people skills to know how to work with people who are wired a little differently, they would probably be more successful (or still in business). Let’s take a look at some of the people you will likely encounter as well, and how to work with these clients.

The Passive Client

​​The Passive Client says they’re interested in your services, but when the time comes to schedule or obtain details about the shoot, you’ve aged twenty years. Then, when you try to gain their input, they hardly contribute anything, taking a completely hands-off approach and leaving you without a concrete direction to take the shoot. The kicker comes when it’s time to collect payment – you probably won’t receive it in a timely manner. Fun!

The Solution: Patience is the key, since you’re going to want to violently shake anything coherent out of them. Do your best to look for the positives – if they’re not going to give you any direction, take it upon yourself to let the creative juices flow. That’s why we’re in this business, right? Most importantly, make sure contracts and check are in hand before you proceed. Based on your interactions with the Passive Client on the phone/via e-mail, you should be able to spot this type and take the proper precautions.

The Overly-Controlling Client

​To the creative types, the Overly-Controlling Client are the ones to suffocate the creative process. Any idea you come up with gets shot down and they only want to do it their way. They know better than you do about the image they want, so you’ll take a back seat. You’ll probably spend a good portion of your time envisioning yourself strangling these people.

The Solution: Remember how your mother would ask you if you’d like carrots or peas as a vegetable for your dinner? You felt so empowered because you got to choose (even though you’d rather have ice cream), but in reality, your parents created the illusion of “choice” – you were going to eat vegetables whether you wanted to or not! The same applies here – come up with a few creative ideas and let the client choose one of the ideas “you can do”. If the client doesn’t buy into this, it’s time to swallow your pride and smile and nod.

The Worrywart

​Everything has a doomsday scenario attached. They don’t look “right”, the shoot is running too long, the sky is falling, etc. Anytime you ask for their input, thinking you’re going to put them to ease, it only brings out their insecurity more. On top of that, they always schedule reshoots because they didn’t like some small detail about the last shoot, delaying the payment and wasting your time and theirs.

The Solution: These Debbie Downers will suck the life out of you, but a little ego stroking goes a long way with these people. They will need a lot of reassurance, and once they get a little confidence, the shoot will run much smoother. It’s important to stay calm, positive, and patient, since they will be feeding off of your attitude – if you’re upset, they’ll take it personally, and the insecurities will only get worse.

The Stingy Client

​To any photographer in the business, these are the worst types. They try to take any shortcut they can to “speed the process up”, and will always try to barter for a cheaper price – after all, you’re just “pushing a button”, right? This can result in not receiving payment in a timely manner and wanting to bash your head against the wall.

The Solution: Stand your ground and realize that your best friend is the word “no”. Don’t settle for a lesser price – you know how much it costs to do this shoot effectively, so anything that will make the photo what you want needs to be in there. They might continue to gripe about money, to which you can pass on the job and wait for the client that appreciates your services. If they’re “on such a tight budget”, maybe they shouldn’t have hired a professional in the first place?

The Dream Client

​These people are the rare gems you need to hold onto for dear life! They understand what you and your business are about, contribute positively to every shoot, and the two of you can bounce ideas off one another with ease. When it’s time for payment, they send it in a timely manner and talk non-stop about how great it was to work with you to friends and colleagues. They are the rays of hope in the world that you’d wish every client was like!

The Solution: Sit back and enjoy the ride! They’re like-minded and help the creative process with everything they say and do because they have such a clear and creative vision, as well as a “let’s get this done ASAP” attitude, knowing that your time is just as important as their own. I love these people, and I will go out of my way to spread the good word about their business just as they do about mine. Try to work something out with them about tweeting/talking them up on Facebook and make sure to stay in touch with them often.

You’re going to meet a wide variety of people during your line of work, and patience is vital in all of these interactions. By looking at each case individually, you can be more effective in how you work with these clients, and they’ll be more than appreciative that you worked so well with their needs, possibly earning you repeat business.

What other kinds of clients have you worked with that I haven’t mentioned here? And what did you find was the best approach in working with them?