Difficult clients. We’ve all had them. Clients that don’t respect you or your work. Who don’t value your time. Clients who have wild expectations and are a headache to deal with.
Most clients are great, but there will always be a few that are challenging. This is the nature of business, and it’s not something to take personally. Not everyone will be a fit, but there are things you can do to ensure that the clients you shoot for will be those that value your work and time.
Sometimes the number of difficult clients you have to deal with is determined by where you are in your business.
When you’re just starting out, a lack of experience can make filtering out potential problem clients more difficult. It can also make it harder for you to set boundaries around your time, and what you will and will not do because you’re afraid of losing potential work.
When I started my food photography business, I put up with a lot more than I do now because I needed the money and relied on photography as my only source of income.
I now approach my clients differently, which has had a big effect on who I’ve been able to work with.
Here are some considerations to make when you find yourself working with difficult clients.
First, Figure Out What’s Not Working
Before you can solve a problem, you must be able to define it. Is the client simply being rude and demanding, or are there actual communication gaps or systems that can be improved for a better client experience? The more you get on the same page with the client, the better the work will flow. Sometimes it can only take a few tweaks to fix a challenging situation.
Take a hard look at your business and see what can be improved before rejecting clients that seem to pose a challenge.
Define Expectations
Difficulties arise most often when there is a clash of expectations, or a client demands more than what the original scope of the project entailed.
Is there a lack of clarity about what is involved in producing the project or what the expected outcomes are?
For example, if your clients ask for a lot of revisions, you may not have outlined your approach to revisions in your contract or terms and conditions. State clearly how many revisions you will do and what the cost will be if the client requests more.
If the client is micromanaging your work, keeps wanting tweaks or increasing the scope of the project, it may be time for an honest conversation. It’s one thing if the client is trying to take advantage of you, quite another if you’ve not clearly outlined exactly what they can expect in return for what they’re paying for.
Make sure that every detail of your agreement is nailed down in writing so you can direct the client if there is a question about the deliverables expected.
Raise Your Prices
One of the best ways to weed out difficult clients is to raise your prices. In the many years I have been shooting professionally, I’ve noticed that the cheapest clients tend to be the most demanding and difficult to work with. Other photographers I’ve spoken on this topic say the same.
Clients who want to pay very little for photography often do not value it much. They understand they need photos for their business, but don’t really see how the right photography can elevate their brand and increase their profits, therefore they’re not willing to allot a decent budget to it.
Chances are, your difficult clients are not a large driver of income, so raising your prices can filter out unsuitable clients without you having to “fire” them.
If you do stop working with a difficult client, be sure to not break your contract with them. Fulfil the obligations you have made and deliver what was promised.
Screen Your Prospects to Ensure that They are a Fit
The best way to deal with difficult photography clients is to not start working with them in the first place. This means that you’ll have to screen your prospects, and the best way to do that is to get on the phone with them.
Discussing the project with a client on the phone is the best way to understand the scope and define the expectations around it. If there are any red flags, these will come out sooner rather than later when you communicate over the phone.
Too much can get lost when communicating over email. Prospects tend to not give enough detail or answer all your questions. Be wary of prospects who don’t want to speak over the phone and limit interactions to email. They likely will not be very invested in the project and expect you to do all the heavy lifting, with minimal participation from them.
Cultivate Self-Awareness
Self-awareness is key in building good relationship with clients and a solid photography business. Relationships are a two-way street, and sometimes there are ways that we can contribute to the problem with gaps in our communications style, a lack of boundaries, or poor follow-through.
Take stock of where you can improve in the way you manage your business and interact with clients and take responsibility for what you can do to make things go more smoothly.
Have Other Streams of Income
I’m a big advocate of having other streams of income as a photographer whenever possible. When you’re a new photographer and are working hard to get clients, every prospect that comes along can feel like the goose that laid the golden egg.
However, when you’re stressed about income or desperate to get a job, clients can sense this through how you communicate. When you’re willing to walk away, your energy is more detached, and you naturally come across as someone who values their time and work.
Having a part-time job or other savings to fall back on can make you feel more relaxed about your food photography business and allow you to focus on the clients that pay well and are easy to work with.
Market Your Work to Find Your Ideal Clients
The key to working with better clients is to focus on finding new clients through your marketing efforts. If you’re relying on clients to come to you though your website or Instagram, you’ll find that most prospects go nowhere, or are not the best fit for how you work or what you do.
Constant and consistent market research, pitching clients and writing proposals is how you win the clients that will be a fit for your style and level of photography.
Conclusion
Having a difficult client here and there can be part-and-parcel of running a photography business.
That being said, sometimes a project will not go according to plan for a wide variety of reasons. Sometimes despite the best efforts on all the sides, the moving pieces don’t come together as expected and the client will not be happy. You’ll have to reshoot or make some other concessions, especially if you want to continue working with them.
This is all part of the job, too.
With experience, you’ll come to know which clients are worth holding onto and which hinder your growth or business.
Want more business advice? Work with me one-to-one I one of my mentorship programs. Whether you want to develop a marketing plan, need help with your pricing, or a supporting sounding board for your photography business, I can help!
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