How to Be a Client

In a perfect world, people would know exactly what it is that you want. By “people” I mean professionals you hire to do things you have no time for or skill to do. People like accountants, architects, designers, writers, and the like.

Short of a massive evolutionary step that allows everyone to access 100 percent of his or her brain (think Scarlett Johansson in “Lucy”), people will have to wade through ordinary human communication.

What this means is that you will have to work extra hard to convey what you want to people you have hired. Yes, you are paying a professional to do your bidding. But this doesn’t mean throwing your weight around. Not only is it not nice, but also it hardly creates a harmonious working relationship with the person you’ve hired.

I’ve been on both sides of the fence: the client and the professional. I have experienced the good, the bad — and the truly awful ones. And through it all, I’ve learned a few things that might be of use to you when you act the part of a client.

Create a realistic deadline.

Fear does not always give you the results you want. For example, if you need a stylish website with an e-commerce component, don’t pressure the website designer with a tight deadline. It will affect creativity and certainly put you in the “maybe not” file when the designer receives another project from you.

Come up with a sound brief.

A clear, thorough explanation about your business and your goals would help create the ideal brief. It should tell the professional what you’re about and what you want out of the service.

Work with the project schedule.

Assuming you’ve hired the right professional, your project should unfold according to schedule. From the moment you had that consultation to the time you need to see the work, everything should develop smoothly. But this can only happen when both parties adhere to the schedule.

If you need to send your interior designer, for example, what colors and finishes you want for your new kitchen in a couple of days, send it. Not sending your decision in time will delay your designer’s work.

Make up your mind.

An undecided client will drive any professional batty. Whether it’s the look of a website or the color scheme of a room, you need to be sure about what you want. Don’t decide to give a direction in the beginning only to do a 360-degree turn on that direction.

If you’re unsure about what you want, convey that point to the person you’ve hired. With that person’s expertise and experience and your raw ideas, you can forge a collaborative effort that may just give the perfect result.

Pay your professional on time.

Finally, be a good client and pay your professional on time. You’ve used his or her time and talents. It’s only fair to send the agreed upon fee at the agreed upon date.