You probably already have one in mind.

The economic repercussion of not managing problems with clients properly is very worrying for all of us, agencies and freelancers can be affected by it.

The customer experience with us will also affect us at the branding level; if it is bad, our reputation is in danger of falling and the bigger the client, the more it will affect us.

The most common consequences of problems with clients that I have experienced are these four:

1.- Loss of customers

Many freelancers do not have business experience and it is difficult for them to face these inconveniences, my recommendation is not to hide from them and face them.

Perhaps at first you say phrases at inappropriate times, but I assure you that it also happens to those of us who have been dealing with clients for more than 20 years.

Cheer up, with practice you gain ease.

2.- Economic losses

Obviously, if you lose customers, your pocket will notice.

This may not be dramatic for you, if your finances are healthy, but for those who are self-employed it can be a big hole in their monthly income.

3.- Deterioration of your reputation

You already know that a negative opinion spreads faster than a positive one.

So that they speak well of you, address and attack customer problems as soon as possible, we don’t always have a magic wand that solves them.

4.- Possible discussions with your colleagues and collaborators

When working as a team and the development of a project depends on several people, a human reaction is not to recognize our share of responsibility.

How to solve a problem with a client: 10 tips

What can we do to mediate, confront and solve problems that arise with clients?

Here are 10 tips to help you overcome these pitfalls that hurt our morale and, sometimes, our pockets.

1. Identify the problem

To find out what is happening, the first thing you should do is listen .

Do not anticipate what your client wants to tell you, do not imagine what he is thinking, do not cut him off while he is speaking, do not make negative gestures with your facial or body expression.

Just listen to him.

And when he’s done, give a short summary for him to confirm that you’ve understood.

2. Starting from there, it would not be unusual for him to have interpreted something different from what we have said.

A typical example for many clients is to consider the number of fans on Facebook as a key indicator to measure success on Social Networks.

However, we know that for many projects it is not relevant, although we must always keep an eye on it.

3. Check the expectations that the client has about the results of our action

The previous section leads us to think about the expectations that customers have about how we invest their money.

I mean the campaigns we run in Social Ads.

A few days ago, an agency colleague told me that she had had a difference with her client over this issue.

4. Identify since when the discrepancy with the client exists

Knowing this temporary data tells us how entrenched problems with customers can be.

If it is recent, it will be easier to manage than if it has been in the head of our interlocutor for a long time.

5. Show empathy

There are times when customers are difficult to deal with because they have a lot of pressure on your company.

6. Highlight positive aspects

Above all, do not deny the evidence or reality.

If the reports of results say that the Social Media Strategy that you have designed does not reach the objectives, do not disguise it or deny it.

However, if an onslaught of customer anger or frustration hits you, resolve it by showing what you’ve accomplished.

Also, highlight what you have learned when you see unwanted results, if you are skilled and a good professional, you know that to err is to grow and learn.

7. Acknowledge your own mistakes

If the error is yours or your team’s, show humility and provide solutions.

Your client likes you to do it for two reasons:

1. Praise your professionalism.
2. Boost your ego.

Communicate to him the actions you take to correct these deviations and inform him regularly of how the measures adopted are going.

8. Look for solutions in a group

If there are problems with clients, it is because you bill every month, so when they appear, calm down.

It would be worse not to invoice, after having understood what is happening, gather your project team and try to find solutions together.

9. Write understandable reports

I had a professor at the university who said: “There are some authors who write books so that others know that they know something.”

Do not make your reports the reason we can apply this sentence to you.

Your client needs to understand what goes right, what goes wrong, and why.

10. Create a shared document with the client to reflect the evolution of the project

It is about creating a document that is accessed by both parties, for example, in Google Drive.

It reflects the status of the progress we have made with the marketing actions we implement.