Know Your Role: Dealing With Over-Eager Clients

Clients love their events or products and by extension you do too!

There are times when clients can get a bit excited and (for lack of a better word) overbearing. We’ve all encountered those clients that are too close to an event to let go and let you do your job!

Here’s our Over-Eager Client Survival Guide:

Kill Them…. With Kindness

Clients are people too. They are trying to do their job to the best of their ability, even if that means micromanaging you or adding more ingredients to your already full pot. Always listen to their input because at the end of the day it’s their brand on the line. Acknowledge their contribution and what they’re bringing to the table.

Let Them Have It

If a client puts forward an idea that is a minor inconvenience to you, feel free to advise against it, but recognize that if there is a will, a client will always find a way. Always weigh the pros and cons of adding or subtracting an item from an event. If a client is passionate about an addition that will not negatively impact the event overall, then make it happen. A happy client is the best client.

If They Can’t Hear, They’ll Feel

On the other side, if a client has this “great” idea that will not only negatively impact the event, but will also take away a large portion of the budget, then as the event planner, you have to put your foot down – in the nicest way possible. Clients like evidence. Explain to them the impact that adding this aspect will have on the event or brand as a whole. Advise against it and in extreme cases, you can refuse to implement it. At the end of the day, the event is your client’s baby, so if it comes down to you vs. them opinion wise, you will lose. Sometimes, seeing a bad idea fail can be a learning experience for a client. There is the possibility that your compromise (compliance) will be noted and thus another happy client is born.