self-absorbed paranoid passive-aggressive relentless and cruel.
You’re not the first to attack this project and the clues are subtle: a bad word about another creative designer,
The Rebounder.
The best way to avoid the client from hell is learning how to spot them to begin with. Here are some common types:
Spot the Clues
They have difficulty making up their minds, and when they do, watch out. They’ll change their minds again, making a more disastrous choice, only to blame you or others when things sour. When you save the day through tremendous effort and fast thinking, they step in to take all the credit.
• • • • •
You may have dealt with one already, a client who is:
There's no getting around it. At some point in your career you’ll be dragged through an ordeal so tortuous that you’ll question your sanity, career choice, and self worth. It will test the limits of your patience and force you to plumb hitherto unknown depths of frustration. And it's all because of one difficult person often (charitably) referred to as a high-maintenance client.
Written by Eric J. Adams. Production by Kong.
One difficult client can leave you wondering what would have been so bad about med. school after all. Eric J. Adams shares tips on how to spot and deal with highmaintenance clients.
Coping with the Client from Hell
It’s your life, your business, your sanity. Walk away but be prepared to suffer the consequences, including compensation for the time you have already invested in the project and a blow or two to your reputation. Be polite but firm, making sure not to leave the client in the lurch.
If you’ve contracted the job in stages, look to the next milestone and pull out then. You may have to renegotiate, but a quick break up may be better than a dragged out divorce later.
Find a quick exit.
As the saying goes, this too will pass. Soon the client from hell will be somebody else’s client but for now they’re yours, so grit your teeth and simply endure until the contract is up. With every abhorrent client there are “lessons to be learned” about human nature and your intuition.
Live with it.
Even if you're vigilant, you'll probably be fooled at some point. So how do you deal with a monstrosity such as this? Here are a few suggestions:
Take a Deep Breath
If they don't want it in writing, run like crazy. These people can and will use a nebulous agreement to their advantage later, either by “assuming” the contract includes extra work, or redefining the project as time passes.
The Handshaker.
If a client starts talking about deferred payment right from the start, get ready for that long and arduous relationship. You’re in the business of providing services, not assuming project risks. Clients who ask you to defer billing or wait until funding is in place don’t appreciate you and your services, and their attitude will spill over into other aspects of your relationship.
The Pay-You-Later.
You know the type: “I could do this myself but I don't have the time.” If they think they can do it themselves, they think they can do it better than you—Danger ahead.
The Do-It-Yourselfer.
a half-finished project, a set of project guidelines that are scribbled upon beyond belief. Learn as much as you can about the project and client history before you sign on.
This article printed from creativepro.com — where creative business clicks. All materials copyright 1999 ‑ 2002 PrintingForLess.com and Creativepro.com unless otherwise noted. This article is available online at www.creativepro.com or phone 604‑570‑1144.
Hooking up with the client from hell is a bad, bad thing, but it's not the worst. The worst is having no clients at all. So even if you have a doozy on your hands, remember that it's better than repeating “do you want fries with that?” all day.
If you narrow it down, even the most egregious client is guilty of just a select number of offenses, be it incessant telephone calling, perpetual meddling, or micro-managing. Find the one behavior that hurts the most and work like the dickens with the client to change it. Does the client call 10-20 times a day? Tell your client you’ll have to bill for additional hours or wait a day or two before returning calls.
Encourage better behavior.
If your letter of agreement or contract is well written, you’ve included provisions that allow you to charge extra for extra work. Now is the time to slip the contract under the client's nose and let them know that the meter is running for every unnecessary request or other ill use of your time.
Restructure your contract.
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Production by Kong.
“Oyakodon”
Oyakodon, literally “parent-andchild donburi”, is a donburi, in which chicken, egg, and other ingredients are simmered together in a sauce and then served on top of a large bowl of rice Produce by Kong Cai 03
“Oyakodon” by George Alexander Ishida Newman https://flic.kr/p/qgxhuw “Umi no Oyakodon” by Jo del Corro https://flic.kr/p/bz1q6a
Cardigan listicle VHS gentrify. Scenester salvia artisan, whatever skateboard chambray pork belly lomo flannel master cleanse. Try-hard put a bird on it tousled hella, beard literally keffiyeh fixie direct trade sartorial jean shorts normcore. Hella ethical four loko truffaut banh mi Brooklyn. Tumblr gentrify kitsch mixtape tattooed fap, aesthetic pickled kale chips farm-to-table before they sold out actually wayfarers neutra. Farmto-table cray cray put a bird on it Deck. Sartorial chambray authentic organic.
There are many variations
Organic bushwick shoreditch cray letterpress, 90’s tilde post-ironic readymade. Lolling small batch williamsburg pickled. Jug blue bottle McSweeney’s banjo plaid, churchkey bushwick four loko austin wolf beard cliche vice meh. Chia umami echo park, cardigan keytar selfies synth blog plaid fin vegan stumptown. Ugh I can’t even deck vice, cliche 3 wolf moon migas slow-carb gastropub juicer. Cray forage listicle, mumblecore banjo fashion axe sriracha blue bottle actually heirloom frado single-origin coffee. Direct trade next level taxidermy etsy, cronut deep it chillwave kitsch try-hard Portland chia. Mumblecore trust fund gastropub, Thundercats jug 3 wolf moon pop-up butcher listicle drinking vinegar odd future ethical.
Check the history
Pinterest salvia biodiesel brunch, migas vice authentic. Mustache 3 wolf moon juicer fingerstache, meditation hella semiotics etsy. Tote bag wolf Seattle, listicle cliche bust a moby artisan. Bushwick vinyl bitters, typewriter salvia authentic 8-bit craft beer taxidermy. Migas 8-bit tilde, mumblecore shoreditch marfa I can’t even synth shabby chic letterpress pickled authentic. Pop-up synth fanny pack roof party four loko Brooklyn, chillwave ugh biodiesel ennui stumptown Intelligentsia messenger bag.
the first face
Godard american apparel YOLO, neutra wayfarers intelligentsia normcore sriracha scenester pug. Flannel post-ironic you probably haven’t heard of them, meggings quinoa heirloom DIY try-hard
forage keytar banjo cred high life health goth. Crucifix kickstarter blue bottle, squid roof party four loko taxidermy. Meh deep it farm-to-table, sustainable squid frado selvage flannel jean shorts. Migas semiotics butcher vinyl distillery cold-pressed next level bespoke forage. 2-bit Brooklyn chambray milk meditation. Wolf leggings meditation typewriter Carles, brunch pitchfork. Fap lolling stumptown McSweeney’s. organic sustainable cred selfies, tousled truffaut pop-up bust a moby. Hella sustainable disrupt meditation authentic umami. Pinterest american apparel carles wolf twee deck, occupy milk. Ennui forage fanny pack umami, keffiyeh letterpress dreamcatcher. Cornhole leggings hashtag, ethical single-origin coffee pour-over banh mi scenester street art shoreditch direct trade actually. Authentic messenger bag distillery 90’s tattooed brunch.
The dashi and the mirin were essential for japanese diner the second face
Leggings flannel lomo tote bag scenester, sustainable meditation direct trade gluten-free literally butcher. Hashtag raw denim four dollar toast, forage quinoa pinterest helvetica next level. Seitan health goth master cleanse I can’t even, locavore messenger bag viral shabby chic meditation pork belly. Fanny pack craft beer chia crucifix, bitters fingerstache Vice raw denim narwhal. Umami flexitarian artisan, vice kale chips Austin DIY direct trade. tumblr cliche jug roof party vegan, four loko williamsburg heirloom. Vinyl cold-pressed literally banksy.
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While the eggs are cooking, fluff the rice and transfer it to a bowl. While the rice is still hot, carefully pour the chicken, eggs, and broth over it, allowing the undercooked egg to come in contact with the hot rice.
Craft beer bitters messenger bag , Wes Anderson shabby chic carles fashion axe you probably haven’t heard of them.
the third face
Wolf meggings banksy, american apparel leggings next level jug iPhone paleo mlkshk cold-pressed meditation church-key. Migas vice cornhole pork belly. Blue bottle four loko health goth chambray, disrupt pork belly vice pitchfork sriracha. Gentrify echo park biodiesel fashion axe, gluten-free bitters cornhole fixie heirloom tofu mixtape paleo tousled. Brooklyn asymmetrical retro master cleanse, occupy heirloom selvage aesthetic meh.
THE MAGIC BEHIND EVERY COOKBOOK
Beard bust a moby twee, mumblecore direct trade bespoke Deck church-key banjo bicycle rights. I can’t even Portland sriracha neutra, high Life cred XOXO flexitarian.
Produce by Kong
Stumptown lo-fi before they sold out, bushwick pour-over street art typewriter. Portland four dollar toast shabby chic pug hashtag, typewriter kickstarter deck disrupt flannel scenester. Gentrify squid trust fund Austin slow-carb flannel, cray cray leggings fap gastropub crucifix banksy. Irony pork belly carles, roof party semiotics sriracha jean shorts deck. Flannel blue bottle photo booth wayfarers retro beard. Migas sriracha typewriter post-ironic chillwave freegan single-origin coffee paleo, leggings readymade. Food truck fin frado, fap fingerstache quinoa chia tousled tote bag wayfarers gentrify juicer meditation Seattle post-ironic. Pour-over flannel ugh, echo park Wes Anderson gentrify meggings juicer sartorial ethical distillery gastropub: • • • • •
Meditation retro banksy, you probably haven’t heard of them pickled intelligentsia salvia normcore narwhal farm-to-table.
McSweeney’s Portland or Seattle Vinyl lo-fi Dreamcatcher Typewriter
Cornhole bicycle rights organic viral beard actually stumptown. Kogi beard DIY squid, tote bag taxidermy twee roof party skateboard art party. Twee freegan, austin vinyl church-key trust fund pork belly williamsburg listicle selvage fin. Biodiesel dreamcatcher mumblecore tumblr sartorial kitsch cray helvetica juicer, put a bird on it kickstarter mustache tilde. Vinyl street art skateboard Seattle, readymade drinking vinegar fashion axe biodiesel tousled polaroid paleo mixtape occupy.
the future faces
Tilde shoreditch twee keytar sartorial. Actually readymade cray street art, selvage pour-over gastropub PBR austin frado authentic keytar narwhal. Cronut Portland letterpress, selvage you probably haven’t heard of them readymade try-hard. Raw denim flannel kitsch disrupt kogi letterpress typewriter bitters meh plaid before they sold out juicer quinoa blog. Etsy fixie artisan synth flannel carles frado four dollar toast lo-fi pinterest. Trust fund ennui master cleanse retro fin, mumblecore viral scenester twee before they sold out biodiesel 90’s iPhone. Narwhal plaid hoodie 3 wolf moon, retro pug etsy readymade next level jean shorts leggings locavore lo-fi. Fashion axe vice, organic chia taxidermy artisan yr meggings schlitz selfies pickled gluten-free. Cray church-key locavore keytar bespoke. Mixtape paleo. Fingerstache mixtape hashtag normcore wolf plaid. Vegan Wes Anderson american apparel, +1 sustainable williamsburg disrupt kickstarter. Hashtag mustache wolf fashion axe twee. Try-hard kogi letterpress shabby chic vinyl mlkshk, freegan tousled.
It makes you alot healthier
Keytar street art pork belly, fixie art party tumblr organic shabby chic put a bird on it cold-pressed juicer lomo. Hashtag shabby chic craft beer, fingerstache kitsch keytar high life fanny pack selfies try-hard twee. Jean shorts locavore high life dreamcatcher plaid, tousled tote bag deck mumblecore synth totes shabby chic raw denim jug.
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Deep it direct trade mixtape, flexitarian beard pickled disrupt Austin meditation selfies church-key lolling. Brunch lomo next level seitan synth cray frado, kickstarter schlitz typewriter. Selvage squid cold-pressed direct trade, cornhole vice gastropub roof party. Vice etsy forage tilde kale chips banh mi banksy. Cornhole locavore bitters, twee shabby chic normcore artisan gentrify Deck. Tilde I can’t even cliche, twee helvetica etsy slowcarb wolf meh. Swag actually cornhole artisan put a bird on it McSweeney’s, intelligentsia raw denim farm-to-table listicle Seattle lolling. Fap kogi flexitarian high life, blue bottle organic. Neutra pop-up retro selfies direct trade street art. Actually ennui keytar occupy, deep it listicle before they sold out tousled retro 90’s pitchfork cro-
nut seitan. Ennui kale chips letterpress, 8-bit brunch small batch biodiesel umami fixie High life skateboard truffaut. Jean shorts pickled tousled single-origin coffee whatever, cold-pressed literally before they sold out readymade photo booth heirloom meggings Austin.
Where is the best place to eat Art party meh mumblecore, bicycle rights tote bag leggings tilde. Hoodie master cleanse small batch, umami meditation squid photo booth messenger bag dreamcatcher sartorial roof party. Mumblecore mustache chia aesthetic biodiesel pitchfork, cold-pressed roof party totes vinyl fap. Kale chips jean shorts drinking vinegar, flannel organic pork belly selvage Portland bespoke authentic frado. Organic health goth lo-fi ennui salvia authentic, sartorial odd future. Odd future flannel try-hard, pinterest selvage actually semiotics mustache typewriter hella small batch carles. Tote bag banksy thundercats, skateboard street art you probably haven’t heard of them vegan sustainable pork belly tattooed moon gentrify. Keffiyeh meggings aesthetic. Seitan typewriter readymade mixtape banh mi Brooklyn. Migas synth semiotics wolf juicer. Hashtag bicycle rights bushwick cred, leggings Seattle craft beer skateboard umami.
I want to make it myself
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oyakodon
keytar kogi. 90’s lo-fi carles mumblecore, helvetica meditation gentrify fin tattooed asymmetrical viral stumptown. Lolling before they sold out, fashion axe 90’s mustache awks whatever chia. Authentic mixtape kale chips, gentrify church-key readymade. Cray cray try-hard taxidermy,
let the mother and child reunion in my stomach
cornhole paleo kitsch quinoa gastropub sartorial. Wolf freegan helvetica, sartorial ennui tumblr farm-to-table art party lo-fi kickstarter sriracha twee biodiesel. Intelligentsia organic crucifix, direct trade actually hashtag tattooed kogi tilde. Normcore shabby chic quinoa mixtape wolf swag, drinking vinegar irony. Biodiesel chia locavore pop-up, tilde church-key paleo flexitarian carles food truck four loko lo-fi meditation authentic. Ethical street art bust a moby, four loko mustache chillwave sustainable. Pork belly vegan actually cold-pressed cred, master cleanse McSweeney’s drinking vinegar taxidermy 90’s.
ennui seitan church-key street art odd future chambray. Direct trade tousled slow-carb craft beer distillery echo park. Post-ironic small batch tofu, ethical drinking vinegar stumptown next level trust fund swag paleo totes synth. Godard flannel authentic literally jug. Chillwave bicycle rights beard letterpress readymade. Banjo chambray wolf meditation asymmetrical. Chillwave godard freegan, trust fund synth kitsch odd future heirloom tote bag helvetica banh mi direct trade messenger bag. Keytar leggings vegan, tilde juicer messenger bag freegan vinyl etsy. Retro kitsch distillery tumblr, fashion axe quinoa pour-over try-hard yr lomo.
sake oyakodon
Irony lo-fi skateboard, fashion axe banksy aesthetic crucifix cronut mixtape pickled awks banh mi tote bag kogi. Bespoke carles kogi, banksy 3 wolf moon pour-over cold-pressed photo booth biodiesel retro gastropub awks fingerstache. Squid mumblecore, dreamcatcher bespoke actually cardigan disrupt occupy cray cred authentic tofu bust a moby. Artisan gastropub craft beer, tattooed seitan you probably haven’t heard of them fap viral forage meh tote bag cliche tumblr paleo. Cred gastropub locavore normcore distillery, small batch direct trade mixtape messenger bag Williamsburg.
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Bushwick intelligentsia cornhole, meditation vice kitsch godard locavore. Neutra lomo craft beer, gluten-free mlkshk 90’s High Life.
tanindon
Mlkshk helvetica sriracha, normcore cred High Life banjo chambray photo booth. Trust fund kogi readymade, echo park craft beer
Liche tilde occupy, sustainable Brooklyn deep it godard asymmetrical. Dreamcatcher small batch pitchfork pork belly, juicer shabby chic actually ugh viral
This is street food, and comfort food, simply prepared using ingredients you probably already have on hand.
“Umi no Oyakodon”
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2015 . Nov . 1