The Overbearing Client
There will come a time in your website design career when you find yourself working with an overbearing client. You know the type—tells you how to do your job, dictates every part of the project, essentially sucks the life out of the thing you love to do. So what do you do? How do you handle the situation?
There are several ways to approach this predicament. First, you could resign from the project and request the client find someone else to finish it (or you could recommend someone). Second, you could respectfully push back on the client and tell them who is in charge of the project and ask that they back down. Third, you could take what the client says, give them what they want, and finish the project as quick as humanly possible so you can move on. So which do you choose?
In my eyes, the best thing to do is to finish the project as soon as you can (without jeopardizing the integrity and quality) and put the whole thing behind you. When it’s done you can always elect not to work with the client again. It may be difficult to handle it that way (especially if you dread the thought of speaking with the person), however you always want to make sure you remain professional in all business situations regardless of whether or not the client is right or wrong. This will ensure that your reputation will always be positive and no bridges will be burned. At the end of the day, your responsibility is to make sure the client is happy. After all, most people are overbearing because they want to make sure the project is done right. Stick with that principle and you’ll be in a good position.
