Nice Clients Finish Last

When I was a kid it seemed like a totally regular thing to have someone show up on late night TV with a bunch of plates. Here comes another plate-spinner. Classic. 

They’d throw a few bowls on sticks and a few plates on the table. Give ‘em a good spin. The crowd would gasp. Bankable entertainment. 

It could be that I remember it being more ubiquitous than it was because of how often I go back to the analogy in conversations about time-management. Or more honestly, apologies and excuses. 

“I’m so sorry, I’ve got way too many plates spinning right now.”

If you don’t know where the saying comes from, “like spinning plates” refers to having too many tasks to manage properly. Like the plate spinner who keeps rushing to the wobbliest plate, someone managing too many tasks disproportionately favours whichever task is going least smoothly. 

There’s a natural tendency in the creative service industry to treat clients this way and this (as with the plates) inevitably creates an impossibly difficult situation to manage. 

Wobbliest Client Wins

When you’re first starting out as a freelancer things are simple. You typically take one client at a time, work your process and eventually finish and invoice. 

No two clients are the same - but that doesn’t become an issue until you have more than one at the same time.

Client A is a smooth sailor. They trust you, patiently wait for your updates, and let you dictate the pace of the project. Client B is anxious, doesn’t like the direction the project is going, is pressed for time and sends regular emails and DMs asking for updates.

I think it’s obvious that in this scenario you’re going to favour Client B over A - and from time to time, to get through time crunches, you’ll have to. 

But some clients are just always Bs.

They can monopolize your time and focus and become the central worry in your life. 

And despite my pun a second ago, it’s not like it’s always their fault either. Sometimes you’ve fumbled so hard that you’ve lost their trust and this is just how it’s going to go until the end of the project. 

But this shouldn’t have to affect smooth-sailing Client A. 

Happy Client As become dangerously easy to put on the back burner while you’re putting out fires with your Bs.

But too much of this leads to a whole stove top of B.

Don’t Hate, Communicate

My analogies are drifting so let’s bring it back to the plates and why the analogy isn’t perfect.

The plate-spinning analogy breaks down a bit on one detail - plates don't need to know when you're coming back to give them a spin. Your clients do.

Instead of rushing to whoever's making the most noise, set a communication schedule that keeps everyone spinning at the same speed.

Here are three tips to set up a communication schedule for success:

1. Front-Load the Schedule 

Tell clients your communication rhythm during the project kickoff, not when things get hectic. "I'll send updates every Tuesday and Friday, and we'll have check-ins on Thursdays" becomes part of your process, not a reaction to problems. This sets expectations from the get-go. But stick to it. 

2. Make "No News" Still News

If there's genuinely nothing new to report, that's still your scheduled update. "Project is moving smoothly, concept refinements happening this week, on track for Friday review" beats radio silence. Your clients need to hear from you on schedule even when nothing dramatic is happening.

3. Client Days, Not Client Hours

Instead of spreading client communication throughout the week, dedicate specific days to specific clients. Monday is Client A Day, Wednesday is Client B Day. This keeps the anxious clients from hijacking your momentum away from steady clients and keeps you from constantly switching between different projects.

The wobbliest plate of the bunch doesn’t actually need all of your attention. They just need to know when their turn is coming. 

Your smooth-sailor deserves to know just as much. Sometimes maybe a little more. 

The One-Question Interview

Working Creative: What red flags do you wish you'd recognized earlier in a client relationship?

Philip Tabah: For us, one of the biggest red flags is when a client doesn't hold themselves to the same standard they expect from us when it comes to communication. When they expect sub-1-hour response times for emails or texts (the worst!) and then ghost us for weeks when it's their turn to give feedback, get us final content, confirm directions or make important decisions, it's not a fun time. It makes it hard for us to jump back in with the same enthusiasm and throws the whole project off.

When this happens more than a few times, we have an honest one-on-one and remind them that we expect everyone to honour the established timelines. We dive a little deeper and show them a glimpse of our resource planning chart and how we balance our resources behind-the-scenes. This gives them a more visual idea of what happens when a timeline gets pushed and keeps them more accountable.

Bonus Question:

Working Creative: What do you imagine/picture/visualize when you hear the words “Working Creative”?

Philip Tabah: An artist that works for money.

Parting Thought

Honestly, this email is about a bad habit I still sometimes struggle with. You can chalk up “chasing the wobbliest plate” as another symptom of imposter syndrome.

An upset client can shake you badly, and in some cases probably should, but you have to remember to take a step back and understand that almost all issues with clients are communication failures. If you fucked up the communication, you’re not a bad creative, you’re not a bad person. You’re certainly not an imposter.

After 20 years of living with it, I’m here to tell you there is no cure for imposter syndrome, but it can be managed. With drugs.

Haha I’m 99% joking.

Don’t do drugs.