OK, so you ignored your better judgment, and took on a client you know is going to be a time-sucker, a vampire, and not the dreamy Twilight kind. So how to graciously push-back and "train" your vampires to behave more like us mere mortals? Here are a few ideas to consider:Always be available, to a point.
Keep normal, if slightly extended business hours, which these days is about 9 am - 7 pm. If you're on the road at a meeting or conference, give the client fair warning and tell them that you will be checking email twice a day. If you're traveling internationally, let them know you'll be checking in once a day. Sure you can check in more than that, but let that be your little secret.
These days, we're all connected, perhaps overly so. We all see our emails virtually the second they arrive. Make better use of your time by setting aside time in the day to respond to non-urgent emails instead of firing off immediate responses. Monitor your email as usual but respond immediately only to the truly time-sensitive items.
Respond during normal hours, or at least appear to, part 1...
I'll confess, recently a good, and usually sane client called with a crazy request at 6 pm. He needed a proposal for a meeting at 10 am the next morning. Did I do it? Of course, but I cheated a little. I went out to a previously scheduled dinner and got back to my desk at 11:00 pm, and finished the proposal just before 2 am. Rather than send the email in at that hour, I reset the clock on my computer so that the proposal was time-stamped 11:48 pm, instead of 2 am. If you'd rather not turn back the clock, simply email those rush projects out at 7:30 am so they hit the client's in-box before they get to the office.
Respond during normal hours, part 2...
Avoid answering calls before 8 am or after 7 pm and don't respond to weekend emails unless it's a matter of life or death. The off-hours are your quiet time -- not the clients. Again, you can listen to the voicemail or read the email, but resist the urge to respond immediately, to help train the client not to expect lots of off-hour attention.
Put yourself first, every day.
Don't let a vampire client knock you off your fitness game. Take time out, step away from the computer and blow off some steam to restore your sanity, particularly when a client is demanding more than their fare share!
Keep normal, if slightly extended business hours, which these days is about 9 am - 7 pm. If you're on the road at a meeting or conference, give the client fair warning and tell them that you will be checking email twice a day. If you're traveling internationally, let them know you'll be checking in once a day. Sure you can check in more than that, but let that be your little secret.
Limit the hours per week they're entitled to.
In as firm and charming a way possible, let the client know that they are entitled to a certain amount of hours per week for conference calls and on-site meetings, and that the clock is running. Put another way, meetings aren't free.
Lurk but don't type.In as firm and charming a way possible, let the client know that they are entitled to a certain amount of hours per week for conference calls and on-site meetings, and that the clock is running. Put another way, meetings aren't free.
These days, we're all connected, perhaps overly so. We all see our emails virtually the second they arrive. Make better use of your time by setting aside time in the day to respond to non-urgent emails instead of firing off immediate responses. Monitor your email as usual but respond immediately only to the truly time-sensitive items.
Respond during normal hours, or at least appear to, part 1...
I'll confess, recently a good, and usually sane client called with a crazy request at 6 pm. He needed a proposal for a meeting at 10 am the next morning. Did I do it? Of course, but I cheated a little. I went out to a previously scheduled dinner and got back to my desk at 11:00 pm, and finished the proposal just before 2 am. Rather than send the email in at that hour, I reset the clock on my computer so that the proposal was time-stamped 11:48 pm, instead of 2 am. If you'd rather not turn back the clock, simply email those rush projects out at 7:30 am so they hit the client's in-box before they get to the office.
Respond during normal hours, part 2...
Avoid answering calls before 8 am or after 7 pm and don't respond to weekend emails unless it's a matter of life or death. The off-hours are your quiet time -- not the clients. Again, you can listen to the voicemail or read the email, but resist the urge to respond immediately, to help train the client not to expect lots of off-hour attention.
Put yourself first, every day.
Don't let a vampire client knock you off your fitness game. Take time out, step away from the computer and blow off some steam to restore your sanity, particularly when a client is demanding more than their fare share!
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