Recently I was talking to a friend of mine who is a designer and he was telling me about a project that he presented to a client roughly three months ago and they still have not decided on anything. He was so frustrated at the fact that so much work had been put into the project and as wonderful as it was, the client would not set up the follow-up appointments to see the furniture or return phone calls, all they did was hem and haw.
He asked me what my feelings were about it. I said it was like being in labor for three months but not being able to deliver the baby. Clearly, I didn’t have great advice to offer; you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make them drink. Do you scream and shout? I don’t think that would do any good. Would you continue to reach out to them? Do any of you have any advice, because I was not the most helpful. Please let me know.
i’d bill them for every minute that i worked on the job – and run the other way once i got paid – that’s a bid very red flag and things will only get worse -
Very frustrating. Hopefully you have already billed them for your up front time. I would give it one last chance – follow up politely with enthusiasm for the project and tell them you currently have availability to work with them but have other clients that you will need to prioritze soon. If still no response – these are not the types of clients that will be productive to work with and will only cause headaches going forward. Your valuable time is better spent finding new like minded clients.
If your friend still wants these people as his clients, perhaps a bit of subterfuge is in order. He should contact them and let them know he’s about to start a huge project with another client (not necessarily the truth), but just wanted to give them the right of first refusal. Hopefully these potential clients will finally decide one way or the other. At least your friend will know where he stands. However, it sounds to me like they’re probably stealing your friend’s ideas and sourcing the produucts elsewhere.
I have had the exact situation over a year ago and as much as I fumed on the inside I was all cool on the outside.
My clients took all my ideas and written plans, left me with “We will call you” and until today I haven’t heard from them. I have notched a few time, “reminding” them of our engagement and I finally gave up. I also have to tell you these people are neighbors and our kids go to school together! It was awkward to say the least. But I guess there was not much I could do and I have learned my lesson at least to make sure I get paid for my drawings and plans. They have not paid that bill either….
My advise: Contracts and an advance payment for planning!
He must decide on himself and weigh things up. If he thinks the client is still worth all the work that he’s been doing then he must not let go of it. But in case that there are still other clients which have projects way better than the present, then I guess its time to move out.
Yes there is nothing like having a non responsive client. Its like we are doing the project for our own satisfaction. I like having clients who not only are responsive but also provides constructive suggestions.
Sounds like they are shopping. I charge a consultation fee up front that is reimbursed with the job. I have never had a problem, the charge is not huge but covers some of my time and travel expenses if necessary.
Been there done that. I should have cut and run, instead I spent time and money and was never reimbursed for my efforts.
Personally, I’d say move on…and always have a retainer from the beginning signalling a real relationship.
Good luck.
Dump them. These people are fishing for a deal, either looking for another designer (or contractor) who will work cheaper, or trying to to it themselves. The more I think about it, the more I come to believe that hourly billable time is the way to go. It avoids a lot of problems and potential conflicts of interest.
This business is a fickle one and I know a lot of designers have been burned BUT, with the state of the economy people are really afraid to spend money. I am in this situation at this very moment. I got a retainer after they LOVED all my ideas and the project keeps stopping,they regroup,swallow the shock of the cost of things,don’t return phone calls and emails ~ then out of the clear blue they call and are ready to resume. I have spoken to them about the difficulty this causes but they don’t feel that way, just I do.It is so frustrating and I feel like I am always losing my enthusiasm but I have chosen to hang in there and do it on their timetable,in this case! I feel confident we will eventually finish.
It happened to me twice not long ago.
The first time, the clients were kind of friends. The wife called to tell me that they would wait to have the necessary money available to do the project. Didn’t have the time to send them the invoice right away. When I finally sent it t, I heard by mutual friends that, in the mean time, they started the project with someone else (probalbly with my moodboard, technical plans, etc.). Then, the husband tried to get a reduction on the invoice because he said the project was not finished. But I reminded him that they signed a contract that clearly indicated the amount due at the point.
The other time, the clients shopped around with my quotes for better prices. Asked me for other quotes. I never heard of them again. Fortunately, the final invoice was already paid for my services.
Always, always sign a contract with clear terms of payments ! Even with friends, friends of friends and family.
Or, from the client’s perspective, there are things that could delay their decision:
* Breadwinner was downsized out of a job
* Spouse diagnosed with cancer
* Death
* Pending lawsuit
* Potential move
* Pregnancy
While it is not polite to leave a consultant dangling, these are several examples of situations that are very personal and difficult to talk about. Yes, they should communicate to the decorator, but their inability to make a decision does not necessarily mean they are shopping around and cheating you!
I have clients come 1 time 2 times and then leave, but that is the nature of human beings.. and Like EM said there are all different reasons, most have nothing to do with us..
I do not have to put any thing into a presentation, as most of my business is by word of mouth, but I do have the few that stay years and do work with me every week and those are the few that have major shifts in their lives happen…
xxoo
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As designers we are hyper-critical of our own work, and hyper-sensitive to the reaction of our clients. EM’s comments are very relevant. Before we start judging ourselves based on a lack of response, we should communicate with our client to determine the reality of the situation. However, we still have to recognize that if they are embarrassed or traumatized by their situation, we may still not get a truthful answer. The important thing in these situations is to structure the process and fees so that the client commits to pay for the phases of the project they sign off on. Also, our contract should state that they may only use the designs presented to complete the project with us…i.e. legally they are not entitled to use the ideas to ‘shop around’. Even though we may be appropriately reimbursed for the ideas, I’m sure we’re all concerned about incorrect implementation of the plans, that leads to questions about the design.
People show you who they are – if the job were to continue expect more of the same for the duration — good, bad or indifferent — they have shown you how it will be, you have to decide if this is okay with you…
I would invoice them immediately. Hopefully he had them on retainer to begin with so he does not have to track down payment for the time he put into the project. When things like this take place I always think there were red flags that you sensed but did not take action on. It raises your intuitiveness for next time…usually when you sense something about a client go with your gut you are usually right. I just did a big presentation for a client and they had no clue how long it took to pick every element for the space with three choice selections. Often clients are clueless as to what it take to really create a beautiful space.
All’s fair in love, war and design. So protect your heart, your ass, your peace of mind and pocketbook. – Gary