As creators, we often get confronted with comments and suggestions, regarding our very own creations, especially when dealing with clients. Our initial reaction is to let the comments affect us personally, BUT, don’t. You’re great at what you do, and you should know that !
HOWEVER, the #1 RULE is to NEVER get EMOTIONALLY attached to your projects. I know this is hard, but read it again, NEVER GET EMOTIONALLY ATTACHED TO YOUR PROJECTS.
Trust me on this one, it will burn you down.
I think it is the number #1 learning we’ve had since starting this agency. Client don’t care how many hours, you’ve put in a project, and sometimes all they care is to have the final word. AND THAT’S OK – it’s their project it’s their own money that they’ve spent on this project.
Here’s a few tips to make sure you are emotionally detached from projects, especially client’s projects.
#1
Work as a team. Find yourself a middleman. What I mean by that is to have someone deal directly with the client while you focus on your work. This will help you focus only on the work, and you’ll share the emotional attachment to the project with someone else.
#2
Don’t be available 24/7
When dealing with clients, it’s easy to get overwhelmed with emails of how they’d envision their project and blablabla. One way to easily deal with this is choosing the times at when you look at your emails of clients corrections.
Trust me, there’s nothing worse than negative comments on a late friday night, to make sure you f*ck up your weekend.
#3
Have you own work – You can always keep your own edit of the project in your hard drives. You can show this version to your friends if that’s the one you prefer. but hey, work is work! do the comments!
#4
VALUE YOUR POINT
The best idea needs to win. Do what’s best for the client. If you believe that your idea is best, then tell them, use a neutral easy-going tone and tell them.
Don’t be picky, don’t be stubborn but open the discussion with them and prove them that your idea is best for them. sometimes it is sometimes it’s not.
