You're struggling to manage difficult clients in Content Strategy. What's the best way to stay resilient?

In order to understand their goals, you must: 1. Listen Actively: Pay attention to their needs and concerns during the onboarding process. 2. Ask probing questions : Understand their objectives and expectations out of this project to ensure alignment. 3. Empathize: Put yourself in their shoes to better understand their perspective and motivations. 4. Seek feedback: Regularly ask for feedback to ensure whether they are satisfied or require some necessary adjustments in the content strategy.

To manage difficult clients in content strategy, prioritize clear communication, set boundaries, and document agreements. Manage expectations realistically, stay calm and professional, and focus on solutions. Seek support when needed, practice self-care, and learn from each experience. These strategies foster resilience and facilitate smoother client interactions.

The best way to understand such customers is to recognize the outer problem and then discover the individual's inner problem. By recognizing the inner problem, we can best communicate with each individual. This method is used in business storytelling.

I had a difficult time for a while if a customer was difficult or unhappy. One day I realized that I was the only person they could complain to, because I was the one person who could and would fix it. Instead of focusing on their complaint or frustration I focused on my ability to be a hero to them by fixing their problem. Even if I couldn’t give final approval, I am the person who will be their champion to get their goal accomplished. They are relying on you and depending on you which for me, made a big difference in my ability to be resilient.

Achieving shared, defined goals is key. If client is changing scope or not supporting agreed goals, you need to re-state agreed goals, get them endorsed or take steps to redefine, or define new goals. Otherwise your project won't succeed.

When setting boundaries, be sure to communicate them clearly and assertively, while also being respectful and professional. This will help ensure that both you and the client have a shared understanding of what is expected from each party. By clearly defining what is and isn't acceptable in terms of communication, feedback, timelines, and deliverables, you can proactively manage potential conflicts and prevent misunderstandings. Setting expectations is equally important, as it helps manage the client's understanding of the project scope, timeline, and deliverables. By clearly outlining what the client can expect from you and what you expect from them, you can minimize surprises and prevent scope creep.

Understanding client expectations and pressures, keeping confidence in your abilities, seeking support from colleagues or mentors, recognising client behaviour as a common aspect of business, focusing on larger project and career goals and separating emotional reactions from professional responsibilities are all ways to maintain perspective when dealing with difficult clients in content strategy. This way of thinking will help you deal with difficult client encounters in a professional and resilient manner, allowing you to complete high-quality work while maintaining great connections and taking care of yourself.

Boundaries are essential. Be clear from the outset as to how you work and how you will work together. Then maintain clear communication throughout as this avoids issues, misunderstandings and disagreements.

It is always about planning and content strategy for both short-term and long-term So all parties will have the same objectives and vision as well The another point is related to the benefits the client should take out of me, they have a dedicated team and time in return with retaining fees, so they should respect that deal, team time, resources, and efforts It is always about the shared ideas and caring about their product or service, target audience, and brand identity.

Yes, as content writers (especially if we are new to the scene), we often don't set realistic goals and boundaries. This becomes an issue later on. So, I would say you need to set a healthy boundary with the client (and get it in records/ writing/ contract) to avoid these situations.

In my experience, maintaining a balance between empathy and assertiveness is key when handling difficult clients in content strategy. Understanding their perspective and validating their concerns builds trust, while assertively communicating boundaries and expertise ensures the integrity of our work. Striking this balance fosters constructive dialogue and preserves the client relationship effectively.

Listening is critical but understanding perspectives (i.e. where your clients are coming from) is even more important. At IN.FOM, we work with fast-paced clients with complex requirements, and with time and experience come the ability to react to all scenarios. On a personal note, I would say that exposure to different situations build personal and professional resilience, and I urge consultants to not be afraid to tackle the unknown.

In my experience, the root often lies in a lack of understanding of how different elements influence one another in the realm of content creation and dissemination. We often assume a concept is common knowledge when, in reality, it's our immersion in the subject that makes it seem ubiquitous. The key to overcoming this hurdle is effective communication, especially clarity and empathy. It's essential to explain concepts patiently multiple times, using different approaches and paraphrasing when necessary. However, it's crucial to do so without coming across as patronizing if you want to create a collaborative environment where ideas are exchanged freely, leading to more effective and impactful content campaigns.

1. Spend time to understand client's objective.. sometime we need to help the client to derive the objective. Once determined the journey will be good. 2. Apply empathy and add emotions to solution. The strategy has to have an emotion to provoke right action.

Like any successful relationship, the key is knowing when to demonstrate empathy and when to be assertive. Listening is vital but there may come a time however during the campaign when the client gets apprehensive & starts suggesting an array of “fixes”. As you are assessing these, remember that you are being hired for your experience, not just to meekly agree in an attempt to avoid the possibility of upsetting the client. Therefore, there may come a time when you have to say no. One must have a clear reason for doing this but assuming you do, the act of saying no can do wonders to your client relationship. And when you do say no, it’s vital not to preface it with “I’m sorry but…”. It sounds polite but it only weakens your point of view.

Absolutely, seeking feedback and support is crucial for managing difficult clients effectively. It allows you to gain insights into your performance, identify areas for improvement, and enhance your skills and knowledge. Additionally, having a supportive network to lean on can help you navigate challenging situations, alleviate stress, and prevent burnout.

By actively seeking feedback from colleagues, mentors, or industry peers, you can gain valuable insights and perspectives on how to navigate challenging client situations effectively. Feedback can help you identify blind spots, improve your communication and problem-solving skills, and learn from others' experiences. It can also provide you with constructive criticism and new strategies for managing difficult clients more effectively. Additionally, seeking support from your peers or a mentor can offer you emotional support and guidance during challenging times. Having someone to bounce ideas off of or vent to can help you maintain a positive outlook and stay motivated in managing difficult clients.

Always ask for feedback from your clients. Regardless if you think your client had a positive or negative experience working with you, their critique can lead to valuable lessons to help you grow in your career. It can open your eyes to new skills, methods, processes that you should consider focusing on - whether they’re specific to the actual content strategy or to the client/business development aspect of your work.

Co-design is key! Look at what your stakeholders would like to see - glean their intrinsic motivations and see how this comes together as a collective. Work towards solutions that empower and strengthen interconnectivity. Be sure to incorporate diverse intersectional topics in your discussions and don’t be afraid of change!

Net Promotor Scores (NPS Surveys) can be quickly built using free tools online, or using HotJar for your website. Staying true to common questions will help keep the audience focused, while also making sure the feedback is productive.

Celebrating your wins is crucial in managing demanding clients, as it underscores the importance of acknowledging your hard work and achievements. By meticulously tracking progress, documenting outcomes, and enhancing your portfolio, you chronicle your journey and set the stage for future opportunities. Indulging in some self-care, taking well-deserved breaks, or simply expressing gratitude can significantly lift your spirits, bolster your confidence, and keep you motivated and joyful in your content strategy endeavors.

This is super important since I've worked with clients who only reach out when something goes wrong. It's great to tell clients they're doing well and always celebrate the wins.

There is a best practice case in performing what our teams generally call a Quarterly Business Review. That's where you have a serious meeting with a serious tone where you say, "this is what we've accomplished over the last quarter," with hard metrics throughout.

Se dice que lo que no se comunica, no existe! Y esto es cierto, al menos para nuestros clientes. Es importante mantenerles informados, tanto en los buenos, como en los malos momentos. Además, una comunicación social de nuestros éxitos también soporta nuestra estrategia, posicionándonos como especialistas y sirviendo de imán para nuevos clientes. Así pues, no olvidemos incluir la comunicación en nuestra estrategia de contenidos!

Win those battles, celebrate the dialogue! Difficult clients can drain your energy. Acknowledge your wins to stay motivated. Track progress & showcase results in your portfolio. Treat yourself, take a break, or express gratitude.

Most important to circle back to KPIs. Content being subjective, we'll always struggle convincing clients about what's cool and why. Experimentation is definitely a must but at the end, it's important to know from a performance perspective, whether the brand is growing, whether the content is garnering engagements and reach, and if yes, what is it that the audience likes more of. Finding out what works and packaging that better, and to keep doing this consistently, is the necessity, and usually the common ground for client expectations and team capabilities.

Communicate. Communicate. Communicate. ?? Ensure the entire communication loop is closed. Leave no loose ends. No scope for assumptions. No scope for doubts.

Difficult clients often respond positively to new ideas and tactics that might not have been available or considered before. Demonstrate your mastery of your area of expertise by sharing trends, industry developments or news so they feel more informed about what you're doing. For example, we make a point of keeping up to date with all the latest features and changes on LinkedIn so we can use them to give our clients an edge over their competition who may not know about them.

Stay ahead of the curve! Always put forward - how the idea matches or helps in meeting those business objectives. Read industry blogs & attend workshops. Experiment with new tools & content trends. Take on challenging projects & niches.

To maintain resilience in handling challenging clients within Content Strategy, 1.Prioritize clear communication of your goals, ensuring they align with client benefits by explaining the rationale behind your convictions. This transparency fosters trust. 2. Identify the root cause of challenges, whether stemming from communication errors or bruised egos. If latter, take a deep breath, let go, and shift focus. 3.Practice patience, acknowledging setbacks as part of the process, and refrain from taking things personally.

Based on my experience, I would say that it's crucial to establish clear expectations from the start, listen attentively to clients' concerns, remain composed, provide regular updates, enforce boundaries when necessary, and seek guidance from colleagues or mentors. By implementing these strategies myself, I've been able to navigate challenging client relationships with resilience and professionalism, turning difficult situations into opportunities for growth and learning.

What makes a client 'difficult'? Some reasons could be purely professional. E.g. scope creep or mismatched expectations. Others could be personal in origin. E.g. rudeness or disrespecting boundaries. If it's professional, have a candid conversation with the client and discuss the problem areas. Chances are, things will get sorted out. Give yourself a time frame to see if things improve. If they don't, walk away. If it's personal, like a values mismatch, the chances of improvement are way lower. If dealing with someone is causing me frustration or distress for a continued period of time, I step away from the project. I remind myself that one of the reasons I am self-employed is to give myself the freedom to not work with assholes.

Client difficulty is really just a matter of trust at its core. The client is only difficult because there is a lack of trust in the relationship. This can just come from trauma from previous experiences or the client's own insecurities with relinquishing power or a break in communication or expectation on your end. Get to the root of that with them. You also have to really care about solving the problem that they hired you for. That is your core. If you can help to understand that you not only comprehend but care about solving that, you will bridge a better relationship. Lastly, don't give your client any reason not to trust you. It starts there.

With difficult clients, sometimes I say these words to myself: “At least I’m not married to [name].” Those words don’t change what is happening, but they do change my mindset. There will always be difficult clients. Some client relationships can be fixed. Other client relationships need to be tolerated. If you have a difficult client, and you’re struggling to make the relationship better… remind yourself that you’re awesome and that these interactions are just a small part of your life. (Some client relationships are toxic and need to be ended. But that requires more than 750 characters to discuss.)

I've learned more from difficult clients than easy ones. - How to set realistic expectations - How to get aligned with goals and intentions in the project. - Understanding what you're there to help deliver them from (their pain point and why they partnered with you) - Get regular feedback and create a space where open communication can be found.