Is Your Client Clean or Dirty?
I’ve written a handful of articles lately discussing ways to identify “problem clients” and what to do about it. The thing is, clients can be difficult for different reasons, and trying to determine their motives can help you decide how you should handle the situation.
Should you run away or proceed with caution?
To help answer this question, I thought I’d take a moment to talk about how a client’s intentions can define them as a member of one of two groups that I’m calling “clean” or “dirty”.
The terms “clean” and “dirty” may not resonate with you. Perhaps you’re more inclined to call them “good” and “evil”, or something more graphic. However you define it, there are people out there with either innocent or malicious intentions, or maybe somewhere in between. The most common way that artists learn this lesson is the hard way, but if you stay aware and try to figure out a potential client’s motivations from the start, you can decide how to move forward, if at all.
Clean Clients
I put a client in this category if their intentions are pure.
In other words, they have no desire to take advantage of you, and the problems that arise generally stem from their lack of familiarity with the Illustration industry. Perhaps they have never worked with an Illustrator, or they are entering a field of Illustration that they are not as comfortable with.
Because of this lack of experience, they may not know that spec work is evil, or even what spec work is. They may not understand that they will only have a limited number of revisions available to them. They may not even know what Illustrators do.
Therefore, problem clients who are categorized as “clean” usually require more time, education, and hand-holding, but don’t necessarily make you want to run the other way and never look back. The nice thing about this situation is that you can try to gauge the amount of extra work and time that might be required of you, whether or not you are willing to take on the project, and for how much money.
Dirty Clients
A “dirty” client, on the other hand, is a predator.
A person who falls into this category only wants to take advantage of you. They don’t value your skills or your time, and they often expect free work. This motive reveals itself through actions that are either rude, unprofessional, unethical, or downright illegal. Dirty clients are what often make professional Illustrators understandably furious and less trusting of future clients.
Should I Stay or Should I Go?
On some level, I think every Illustrator asks this question before every contract they sign. With so many factors to think about when deciding whether to work with a certain client, it can be helpful to try and ascertain the moral value of their intentions. This isn’t always easy, and sometimes a client can reveal their “dirty” side when it’s too late to do much about it, but if you stay aware it will become more instinctive as you go. If you have a solid contract in place and try not to compromise yourself, you should be well protected against most situations that arise with this type of client.
How do you determine your clients’ motives? Have you been burned in the past? Please share your thoughts in the comments section of this post.
Related Posts:
- How to Spot Problem Client
- What to Do About a Problem Client
- How to Protect Yourself With a Solid Contract
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One experience I’ll share: a recent client started off seeming a bit flaky (and they even asked for spec work!). A good friend of mine had recommended me to this client, and my friend vouched for him — so I proceeded. As it turned out, the client was just unaware of the creative process, and things went very smoothly with the job — and they paid in full very quickly, as well as commissioned me to do more work. And then they connected me with yet more work for their sister company!
If my friend had not vouched for this client, I would have walked away and not thought twice… but I’m thankful that this was a case where the client just needed to be educated a bit.
And then there’s the story of a very dirty client that I found out later wasn’t even using his real name… let’s just say the local police got involved in that one!
As a longtime freelancer, I have noticed a proliferation of “less experienced” clients. Of course I’m older now too, but whereas near the beginning of my career (late 70′s) I would travel in to see veteran art directors who always seemed to have a clear firm grasp on what they expected of me, I now deal almost strictly via e-mail. Not even as much phone contact anymore. This makes it harder for the folks on both sides of the equation to build an intuitive working relationship. I highly recommend picking up the phone, and having a chat with a new or potential client. Even that can go a long way towards evaluating the intentions of the client.
That said, the vast majority of clients are truly on the up-and-up. I’ve rarely been burned and I think that giving a new or inexperienced client the benefit of the doubt turns out better much more often than not. I do find myself sometimes needing to gently educating clients about accepted practices in the field … (No, I can’t give you more than 75 rounds of sketches!) … but I always remain grateful for each new opportunity and look forward to working together with someone new.
The only other advice I can give regarding new clients (and older too for that matter) is to get your terms clear. Advance, how much, exactly what will they get for their money. Extent of usage, etc. And get it in writing. If you hang up unsure of exactly what the terms are … don’t be shy. Draft a polite e-mail or call the client back, and get 100% clear on the details. Better those discussions take place at the beginning of an assignment than at the end!
Hey Brad,
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Those are some great tips. Educating your clients and making you terms clear are definitely effective ways to protect yourself and help a project go smoothly. I also agree with your point about picking up the phone and speaking with your clients. Email is a limiting form of communication when it comes to understanding each other completely. Thanks again for commenting.
Thomas