The 5 Stages of Client Feedback Grief: How to Keep Your Sanity Intact

Among the many aspects of client relations, feedback can be compared to salt in cooking, it cannot be omitted as everything has its advantages but if done excessively, it can ruin the whole dish. Any creative has likely had the client’s perspective at least once in their career, and this can sometimes feel like a barrage of criticism, especially when the client’s response does not meet their expectations. Let’s take a look at the five stages of going through client feedback grief and some methods of remaining calm during the process.

1. Denial – "There is no way this is really happening!"

You have put in the work and numerous hours into this particular project knowing that there is a reasonable assurance that you are going to ace it. You submit it so you can receive commendation and much needed appreciation. Surprise, surprise! The critique has arrived and this is certainly not what you had pictured.

Are they looking for the same project?” you ponder to yourself.

In this stage, this is often the stage where many learners tend to continue to go through the published text again and again thinking that they must have remembered something incorrectly. In any of these scenarios, you will reach a point where you will begin to think that they must have been looking at the wrong vision or worse, have been sent the wrong pdf. There is a difficulty when it comes to denial, people tend to let logical reasoning escape them. Accept that, yes, this is happening, and prepare yourself for the next step.

2. Anger – “How in the World Could They Say That”

Whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, but it does not make anybody very easy to deal with. It is only after the death of the initial phase that the storm begins to stir within. The stage where you feel like you have been let down so greatly the client just urinated on your puppy.

“Why should they receive everything without actually doing the slightest of efforts on their task?!”

Firing off a long, irritated email with lots of words defending every brushstroke, every ad copy or every pixel seems very appealing, especially when these people make you feel like you want to “tell them what’s on your mind.” Step outside the box and consider how you are feeling at the moment. With anger on your side, you might as well see things through a dark place for there is never any good reason to be angry. Only decide to touch on the issue when the fury is gone.

3. Bargaining – “Maybe If I Just Tweak This One Thing…”

After remaining composed for a bit, which in itself is an achievement, the acceptance comes in. At that time, only I ponder about what alterations I could make to make the client ‘satisfied’ without actually making all the changes he wished for.

“Who knows, if I just move this element or even the color, maybe they would be over satisfied.”

At this point, it's not hard to rationalize that meeting them halfway should be enough. And on some occasions, it is! But at other times, it’s quite a mudslide whereby a lot of work is returned for redoing and you receive yet another comment. It’s a slippery slope to wager — always ensure you know what the client actually needs before you out yourself and bang your head to the wall over changes that may be overshot.

4. The depression: "Is My Work Even Good Enough?"

When bargaining proves that you cannot achieve a peace you have wished for, the likelihood of getting depressed is rather high. This is a problematic stage as it is likely that self esteem will erode and it is the stage where self doubt starts emerging. You begin to doubt yourself and ponder if the work you are doing is sufficient.?

Newsflash — “You know what, perhaps I’m not the right person for this job anyway.”

This is the point which is supposed to be the most difficult to maintain because it is a weakness stage whereby one becomes one’s own worst enemy. Let every feedback though constructive or critical be remembered that it never defines anyones talent or worth it only serves its purpose to better the end result. No professional career of a client will ever be a walk in the park, even the barrage of clients comments is an inevitable thing.

5. Acceptance – “Alright, Let’s Make This Work.”

Acceptance comes last, much later after all the emotional turmoil aspects are gone. It is now you can relax and fully delve into the client’s side of the story without the emotional stress in the room.

For the first time, the exposure of taking feedback does not seem like an affront rather an enhancement. You may even come to perceive that their views were not all that insensible as they sounded at first. However, acceptance does not involve agreeing with all the proposals without question; it is the compromise and the matter of how far the changes can go to achieve the satisfaction of the client and sustain the business ethics.

Also, take this schema in mind: “every cloud has a silver lining.” And with the right mindset, you will appreciate, while it may not be easy, the client’s comments can add value to the project.

Staying Sane in All of This

Having discussed each of the stages, let us now look at some of the best strategies to stay calm:

Take Breaks: After reading feedback, there is the need to step away from revising the content. It is advisable to take an off for a while as that will aid in coming back with an objective mindset.

Focus on Solutions, Not Problems: Rather than focusing on the negatives, think of ways how you would incorporate the feedback from the client while maintaining the quality of the work done.?

Seek a Second Opinion: Feedback can be quite tough to take on its own. Discussing it with a colleague or a mentor will help widen the scope.

Remember why you do what you do: Remember your love for your work. Every project, every client is a level closer to your growth.

Stay Positive: Criticism is an inherent part of the road to progress and every criticism adds up to it. With every encounter with clients, the experience is enhanced, and the communication and working more efficiently gets developed.

Final Thoughts?

What has to be said, client feedback is one that is crucial to the sustenance of all fields that deal with creativity and art. Just like all the other elements, it varies and can never be anticipated, but it is something that is bearable.?

Try to remember the next time when feedback comes in, that it is no longer an individual undergoing experience, and that it is a stress test along with many others. Manage yourself through every phase, and do not forget that every phase hinges on the fact that the only outcome is improvement.

More accurately as the popular quote goes, “what does not kill you makes you stronger.” Remember to keep on moving and as you do, let every word receive constructive criticism from you on how you can tweak yourself further.