A Different Kind of PITA Client

In response to yesterday's blog post about "8 Warning Signs of Difficult Clients," I got this question from a fellow resume writer:

I have one more type of resume client that is a PITA: the one that seemingly responds to your questions but, upon careful reading, has actually provided only the most general information –- no data, no quantifiable results. I am working with a nightmare like that right now where everything is “exceeded expectations” and he “helps a lot” or “enjoys helping others.” 

Due to this lack of information and vagueness, I have procrastinated ridiculously on this project. This is not the first client I have run into with this issue, and I’ve talked with others who have encountered exactly the same thing. I just spoke with someone who had a client who left all kinds of things out -- and, when pressed, she kept saying “Well, that was contract work, so it doesn’t count” or “I didn’t think that was important.” (I had another client recently who left off really outstanding information, for the same reason.)

I would love to know more about either:
* How to structure a questionnaire so this won't happen, or
* How to conduct an intake consult so this won't happen (so I will have all of the information I need)

Is a phone intake best? I have avoided it because I do not take notes well any more –- used to, but not now. 

Ideas, Bridget?

MY RESPONSE:

Hi!

You're absolutely correct! And sometimes these turn into the "traditional" PITA clients because you press them for details (which they can't give) and then when they get the resume, they say: "You didn't put any new information into it." (Which you respond in your head with: "What am I, a miracle worker? Mind-reader?).

In this case, I go back to the client (usually via email) and tell them that I need more specific information in terms of ##, %%, or $$. I usually give them 5-7 REALLY specific questions to answer (my full questionnaire can be 15-20 pages, so I understand how that can be overwhelming, so I tell them these are the things I really need help with).

(I usually pull from my "Ask Better Questions, Write Better Resumes" questions) And if not, that idea of open/closed questions that I talk about on the "How to Talk When They Balk" call can help. Sometimes it's asking the question a different way.

If they come back to what without good answers, I just go ahead and write from what I had. (Remembering what Phil Graves of 1-Day Resumes once told me (paraphrasing) -- they come in with a 2 or a 3, and even a resume that is a 7 or 8 is better than that! We can't always give them a 10, especially when they don't give us good information to work with!)

I never (never!) offer to get on the phone with them. They know when they choose to work with me that they're going to be working with me virtually. (I would charge more if I did phone consultations.) In fact, when prospects come to me and want to give their information by phone, I refer them to writers who work that way. (It's one of the ways I avoid what might become one of my PITAs!) My clients know up front that I collect the information via questionnaire and their existing documents.

Hope that helps!

Bridget

Having trouble with challenging, difficult, or controlling clients? Check out my "Dealing With Difficult Clients" bundle -- just $11 through Monday.

8 Warning Signs of Difficult Clients

They're the worst kind of client. The kind that no resume writer wants to work with.

The PITA client. (Pain-In-The-A$$.)

He or she isn't just annoying. He's a menace. He's the type of client who receives the resume and then demands his money back, saying it wasn't what he expected, or that it's not getting results. Or worse, he doesn't even contact you to get his money back -- he just institutes a chargeback, saying he never got the resume, or you didn't deliver what was promised. Most of the time, the credit card company sides with him, leaving your blood boiling.

But how do you recognize a PITA client when they contact you? There are some red flags to watch out for.

Kelly Donovan, CPRW shared a list of "PITA Warning Signs":

• Asking for a discount or questioning whether the investment is worth it.
• Saying their project will be "simple"
• Saying anything that reveals doubt/skepticism about your qualifications
• Calling/emailing with unusually high frequency
• Calling before 8 a.m. or after 7 p.m. (unless for a scheduled call)
• Mentioning they had a problem with another resume writer
• Asking for a watered-down version of your services with a lower price tag
• Complaining about any aspect of their experience with you (i.e., your voice mail, how long you took to get back to them, etc.)

Now, not every client who exhibits one or more of these warning signs will turn out to be a PITA client, but it's worth paying attention to if a prospective client does one of these things (or more)! (And note: What may be a PITA client for you might be a lovely client for someone else ... so sometimes it's having the courage and confidence to send them elsewhere!)

One of my most popular bundles helps resume writers deal with PITA clients. The "Dealing With Difficult Clients" bundle includes:

• "Working with Challenging, Controlling, or Pain-in-the-A$$ clients" -- a special report that tells you what the REAL issue is with PITA clients, case studies of how to resolve issues with PITA clients (if you want to preserve the relationship, and if you don't want to continue working with them), how to recognize "game-playing" clients, and how to protect yourself from PITA clients (including advice from veteran resume writer Louise Kursmark).
• The recording and transcript from one of my most popular teleseminars -- "How to Talk When They Balk: Communicating With 'Challenging' Clients" -- what to do to make sure unhappy clients don't ruin your reputation, how to turn an unhappy client into a loyal customer, and how to handle problem situations with clients -- no matter how large or small. Also: The THREE questions you must ask clients.
• Client management forms you can use in your resume writing business, including a Client Agreement Form (long and short version), Client Release Form (when you fire and/or refund a client), Hold Harmless Agreement (if the client wants you to make a change to the resume you don't agree with), Website Privacy Policy, Client Termination Letter (when you need to fire a client), Failed Payment Method (credit card didn't go through? Send this), and Referral Request (send to happy clients to stimulate referrals)

Bill Gates once said, "Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning."

But you have to know what to do when you are faced with one. This bundle will help.

For four days only, you can get the "Dealing With Difficult Clients" bundle for just $11 (more than 70% off -- regularly $39).

You'll receive the Special Report, recording and transcript (including handouts), and the client management forms (Word document) via immediate download. Order here:
Dealing With Difficult Clients Bundle

I hate it when I come across a PITA client -- but these resources have helped me, and I know they'll help you too.

The Definition of Insanity

I've been having an email conversation recently with a resume writer who has been plagued with a PITA (Pain-In-The-A$$) client who is leaving negative reviews on her Yelp page. (I've written before about how to combat negative reviews here.) 

She reached out to me because this past client has been disparaging her on Yelp because she denied him a refund (and he lost the dispute with his credit card company about it) and Yelp is now showing this negative review exclusively on her page (and hiding all of her "good" reviews). We talked through some strategies for handling that, but the bigger issue is that she has expressed continual frustration with the prices she can charge in her area and PITA clients.

My advice to her is: STOP FOCUSING ON REVIEWS. "Live by the reviews, die by the reviews."

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting different results. One of her top sources of clients is people who find her online using sites like Thumbtack (or Angie's List) and Yelp. As I explained to her, clients who find you through Google these days are the equivalent of clients who would find you through the Yellow Pages 5-7 years ago. ("Good" clients could be found through the Yellow Pages at one time, but that hasn't really been the case for me for about the last 10 years.) They often don't understand the difference between a $75 resume and a $750 resume. They're more likely to be tire-kickers or try to talk you down on your prices.

My message to her is: The first step is recognizing the problem. The second step is admitting you have a problem. The third step is doing something about the problem!

Instead of worrying about negative reviews online, I advised her instead to spend her time and effort cultivating prospects and referral sources. I had previously recommended the Get Clients Now! book to her as a system to help her organize and implement her marketing efforts.

In her most recent email, she expressed frustration that clients in her area (including executives) weren't willing to even pay $265 for a resume and cover letter. (The national average for a resume and cover letter is around $500, according to the Resume Writers' Digest Annual Industry Survey.) I told her:

I can assure you that there are prospective clients in YOUR AREA who are going online and paying $500+ for a resume and cover letter from a resume writer in another state. You offer more personalized service (FOCUS ON THIS!!) and there's no reason why you can't attract them. You're not going to find them on sites like Thumbtack, and many of them aren't going to find that Yelp review. Clients who find you through a Google search (that's today's version of the Yellow Pages) are more price-sensitive and are more likely to be PITAs.

When you rely on hoping prospective clients find you -- rather than attracting your ideal clients -- you're likely to find yourself working with clients who see you as a commodity, rather than an expert resource.

From teaching six sessions of the Get Clients Now program (five of them specifically for resume writers), the top sources for GREAT clients are:
1) Referrals from past, satisfied clients
2) Relationships with hiring managers and recruiters who will refer clients (most without expectation of a referral fee)
3) Speaking engagements you do (not on resume writing, but on other aspects of the job search -- LinkedIn, for example)
4) Writing (blogging, writing articles, guest posting, publishing content on your own website)
5) People who you know in your day-to-day life (friends, family, neighbors, etc.) who know what you do and refer people they know who need job search help

So, in order to attract better (higher quality, higher paying) clients, you need to:
1) Identify your ideal client
2) FIgure out where they "hang out" (online and offline)
3) Provide information/resources that make you a valued resource (to increase your "know/like/trust" factor)
4) Make it clear how you can help

As a homework exercise before folks start the Get Clients Now group training with me, I ask them to track how they've gotten their clients in the last 30 days. I want you to do that, but I want you to take a step further. Look back at your five favorite clients to work with. Figure out how you got them. Are there any lessons in that for how you can attract more clients like them?

As you work to attract more of your ideal clients (at a higher pay rate than what you're getting now), you'll get out of the cycle of burnout and frustration. But it doesn't happen overnight, and from now on, you must dedicate yourself to 100% quality and meeting every deadline. I don't care if these clients review you on Yelp or not. If they're happy, they will tell others. (And you will TELL them to tell others!)

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Your resume writing business can get better, but you have to decide what you want, and then act on it.

Are you ready to do something different?

Q&A: What Good is a Client Agreement Form if PayPal Won't Honor It?

Every week, I get questions from resume writers -- when I answer them, I usually excerpt/reprint them on my blog so you can learn from them too!

Today's question was about my Dealing With Difficult Clients bundle -- three tools designed to help resume writers identify possible PITA clients and what to do with them if they do make it through your screening process!

Question: 
A question about the client management forms. In my experience I've created a contract that I have all clients read, and sign, before making payment. I've developed this contract by consulting with an attorney and also basing the contract on one I reviewed and obtained from another resume writing service that is owned and operated by an attorney. She knows what she's doing.  However, when I've had two clients who wanted refunds and got angry because they were PITA clients, the contract didn't hold up much merit. I've never yet gone to small claims court, but the contract itself isn't recognized as a legal and binding contract by companies like Square or PayPal. 

How do we as professional writers ensure our contracts are recognized as legal, binding documents with both parties? Of the thousands of resume I've written, I've had to only refund about 3 people. But, as time advances, I'm finding more and more unrealistic clients with hot heads and no idea how to professionally handle a contract, let alone pay a writer up front for work hired and to show they are committed to the project. Of late I've had a couple people disappear, so I collect up front to ensure my services are covered.


My answer:
I can't speak to your experience with Square, but PayPal has backed me up on two occasions when I had clients request refunds and I had signed client agreements. They initially pulled the money, but then requested documentation that they sent to the client's credit card company and I "won" both chargebacks. My only cost was the $10 "investigation" fee that PayPal charges.

I'm not sure if you accept both Square and PayPal, but it might be worth your while to have the client sign in the client agreement form that they will use PayPal's dispute resolution service to resolve any disputes. That phrase is probably not binding, but it would be a first step after you talk to the client -- if they're still unhappy, refer back to the contract and ask them to open a dispute ticket with PayPal.

You can read about PayPal's chargeback info here:

https://www.paypal.com/webapps/mpp/security/chargeback-guide

Ultimately, it's not up to PayPal or Square to honor the chargeback or not -- they are just a payment processing service. Your complaint is really with the customer's credit card processing service ... and generally they will side with their customer (cardholder) unless your documentation is strong. So that means having a signed client agreement, records of correspondence (I always have clients sign off on their approval via email so I have that record), and responding quickly if clients are unhappy (the strategies in the teleseminar are a good place to start -- sometimes the client just wants to be HEARD!)

In the bigger scheme of things, I tend to believe that clients are generally NOT out to screw me, and if I do come across maybe 1 year who is a true PITA who is "stabbing me to death with a thousand tiny knives" as one resume writer put it, I tend to refund them (having them sign the Client Release Form, of course!) and send them on their way. I prefer to spend my energy on clients who are a pleasure to work with, and "release" the unhappy ones to the world. :-)

On a related note, and I hope you won't take offense to this, but if you are finding "more and more" clients who are becoming problems, you might look at the types of clients you are attracting ... perhaps even unintentionally. I know we've talked in the past about the unemployment in your geographic area ... perhaps putting together an "ideal client profile" and working to attract more of these clients instead of just working with anyone who contacts you might help. Or using the Referral Request form in the Client Management forms PAM to reach out to HAPPY clients that you LOVED working with and asking them to send their friends/colleagues your way.

These blog posts might help:

http://rwdigest.blogspot.com/2011/11/how-to-select-best-clients-to-work-with.html

http://rwdigest.blogspot.com/2007/11/avoiding-bad-clients.html

http://rwdigest.blogspot.com/2013/01/new-free-special-report-finding-your.html

Bridget

P.S. –- Did you know that even if a client wins a chargeback, you can still take them to small claims court and win a judgment? I have never personally found it to be worth the time/effort involved, but the burden of proof is actually EASIER to win with a judge than with a credit card company. (As I mentioned, when in doubt, they will side with their cardholder -- your client -- so that's why it's important to try to resolve the issue with the client directly ... and have clear documentation that you tried.)

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Working With Challenging, Controlling, or Just Plain Pain-in-the-A$$ Clients

There has been a great discussion going on about "controlling" clients on the NRWA E-List as of late. My favorite tip list was shared by colleague Kelly Donovan, CPRW.

Here, with her permission, is Kelly's list of "PITA Warning Signs":

• Asking for a discount or questioning whether the investment is worth it.
• Saying their project will be "simple" (the "simple" ones are always PITAs!)
• Saying anything that reveals doubt/skepticism about your qualifications
• Mentioning they had a problem with another resume writer (ask for details!) 
• Asking for a watered-down version of your services with a lower price tag (is it really something you can scale down?)
• Calling/emailing with unusually high frequency (sign of being high-maintenance or disorganized)
• Calling before 8:00 a.m. or after 7:00 p.m.-ish (unless for a scheduled call)
• Complaining about any aspect of their experience with you (your voice mail, how long you took to get back to them, etc.) 

I wrote a previous blog post on the subject of challenging and pain-in-the-a$$ (PITA) clients in 2008 that also contains some warning signs to be wary of: "We Do Not Negotiate With Terrorists."

Kelly says when you encounter one of these warning signs, "trust your instincts and just say no. If they end up being a PITA, it won't be a profitable project regardless of whether you get paid (and keep it) or not."

Do you have other warning signs to share? Please add a comment!

"We Do Not Negotiate With Terrorists"

The customer is always right. Or are they?

There's been some discussion recently among resume writers about how to handle true "PITA" (pain-in-the-ass) clients. I'm not talking about your average client, who may be extremely needy in the short term in making changes or "pushes back" when pressed to provide initial information to develop the resume.

I'm talking about the client that orders the service, receives the resume (maybe even starts using it) and then demands their money back, saying it wasn't what they expected ... or that it's not getting results (when asked what they've done to further their job search, they say they posted the resume on Monster, or blasted their resume to 1,000 companies).

I haven't had a client like that in a long time ... although I've certainly had some of the "annoying" brand of client ... but I've had a couple of clients that have made me cry over the last 12 years of writing resumes through my business.

The PITA client isn't just annoying .... they are a menace. They threaten to report you to the Better Business Bureau ... or worse, they just contact their credit card company and request a chargeback. Even if you win the battle through meticulous recordkeeping and documentation, you're out your time ... and it causes a lot of stress and aggravation. They may even cause you to re-think writing resumes -- and believe me, this industry can't afford to lose any more good writers.

So how can you avoid working with PITA clients? I've come up with a couple of guidelines. If you have other "warning signs," feel free to post a comment ... or e-mail me.

• They try to barter with you on price. You are always welcome to negotiate your prices with prospects, but at your discretion. PITA clients, in my experience, usually complain about the price, even as they agree to the service.
• If you ask them about their current or past resumes, and they mention a bad experience with a resume writer, probe deeply. That's not too unusual in my town, as there are two non-certified resume writers who I often hear about (not in a positive way, either). But listen carefully if they describe their experience and have a lot of negative comments about the resume writer that are based on their dissatisfaction with the document itself. It warrants probing deeper before taking them on as a client. Was the problem with the resume writer, the resume itself ... or the client's expectations? Clarify before proceeding.
  
• You're not actually working with the client -- you're working through an intermediary. (Or its corollary ... you're being paid by someone other than your client.) When you're not working with the client directly (for example, a wife that calls for her husband) or when the client isn't paying the bill (a parent is paying for a college student, for example), be careful. You must clearly define the relationship for both parties involved. ("Jane, I really need to talk to Bill directly to gather this information.")
  
• The client has been unemployed for a significant amount of time (more than 6-9 months). Working with these clients can be a challenge because many of them have lost their self-confidence. You're not only working on the resume; you may have to work on their self-esteem. And they may have been employing poor job search habits over the last 9+ months, meaning the results they will achieve with the resume you write may be the same as the resume they wrote themselves -- if they're using the same tactics. When they "blast" their resume out to a couple hundred contacts and don't get any results, they'll get mad at YOU, not at themselves. So beware.
  

Remember -- when working with PITA clients, "don't negotiate with the terrorist" -- remain firm and calm. Offer to work with them to obtain reasonable mutual satisfaction, but remind them of your contract guidelines. If continuing to work with them isn't an option, offer a partial refund, if you feel that will get them out of your hair permanently.

Your best protection is to clearly state the services you provide (in writing), what is expected from the client (and from you), and to ensure that you keep a record of all communication with the client throughout the process (preferably via e-mail).

We can't weed out every PITA client, but we can try to minimize the damage they cause on our businesses (and self-esteem) as much as possible.