Here are two more stories about customers that were unpleasant and pushed the envelope. Sarah Sawaya of Sassafras Designs is a graphic designer. I have worked with Sarah both in a collaborative manner with customers and as a customer myself. She is talented, professional and you just don't find them any nicer.
I'm blessed with 99% wonderful clients so it's easy to zero in on the few problem ones. Early on one prodded and provoked me until I raised my voice and told him firmly that I was standing my ground - and then I worried like crazy I'd offended him. (I'm not confrontational by nature, and it can be painful to be so.) He wanted to be my best friend after that, much like Karen's experience. It's laughable now, but good grief - why did we have to go through all that?!
It was a different experience with another client who was genuinely thrilled with my work, comparing it to Toulouse-Lautrec (wow!), but constantly argued about price. I gave him two price breaks, but when the third request came (to go to less than half my rate), I was finally offended enough that I sent him all his files and didn't make a referral to someone else. An angry voicemail came (great fortune to miss that call!) but he paid his bill. I sympathetically helped the next graphic designer he hired when she needed his files - for some odd reason he was unwilling to give her the CD I'd sent him; she was concerned about how much he yelled at her and they hadn't even completed one job yet. I know the graphic designer who preceded me and am sure he wore out his welcome with her, too. Hopefully he'll find peace someday, but think of the wake following him...
Both examples only serve to make me even more appreciative of all the others. Here's to working in the spirit of collaboration!
Bravo, Sarah, for defending your pricing! Alan Weiss has a great book called Value Based Fees - we have to remember that what we offer has value to the customer. I expand on that thought in a blog post that asks the question Who Determines Our Value; Us or the Customer?
Have you hit a stumbling block with a customer over price? How did you handle it?
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