Read Psychotactics Ltd.’s latest article titled “How To Get Rid Of Cancer Clients: The Riot Act”


Psychotactics Ltd.’s latest article is reprinted here.

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How To Get Rid Of Cancer Clients: The Riot Act

Imagine you had a cancer. Not twenty thousand cells of cancer. Just about five cells.

And you knew about the cancer cells. Would you proceed to molly coddle those cells? Ignore them, perhaps?

Ok, so I’m sounding really silly

And idiotic at the same time. And insensitive, because you probably know someone who suffered from cancer.

As a small business owner, you’ve probably got some cancerous cells running amok. They’re called ‘cancer clients’. And these ‘cancer clients’, don’t seem too threatening at the start. You may even put up with them. But hey, they’re growing. And they’ll be more than just a worry in the years to come.

To prevent clients from taking over your life, you’ve got to get the Riot Act in place–long before your client starts becoming a pest.

What’s the Riot Act?

It’s a simple understanding between you and your client. When you first meet the client, you bring up the following points:

1) Would you like us to do a really good job for you, Ms.Client? 2) Would you like us to charge you fair rates, Ms. Client? 3) Would you like us to deliver on time, Ms.Client?

Of course, Ms.Client is nodding her head like crazy

And it’s n’ow time to pop the question that Ms.Client is not expecting to hear. And the question is:

If we don’t do all of the above, would it be fair to fire us?

Of course, the client is going to be stunned at this question, but yes, she’s going to nod and agree. And she’s no dummy. She can sense a zinger coming around the bend.

And the zinger is the Riot Act…

“Ms.Client, we have a clause, called the Riot Act. We’ll do everything in our power to do all of the above. And you in turn should do all in your power to help us do our job. The moment you run into issues with us, you have the right to fire us. The moment we run into issues with you, we have the right to fire you. Is that fair?”

Watch for the client’s eyes to pop. Watch as her jaw drops. Watch as the pencil tumbles in slow motion to the floor.

You see Ms.Client has ne’ver dealt with the Riot Act

So the very fact that you’re bringing it up, frazzles her brain for a second. But don’t let that brain fry just yet.

Get the client to do some work.

Get Ms.Client to list her most important ‘issues’ (namely what she expects from you) and you list your issues (what you expect from her).

In this list, make sure you bring up issues such as prompt payment, and any other issues you’ve faced which have prevented you from doing your core job in the past.

You’re not in the job of being hassled. You’re a graphic designer, or a writer, or sell product. Your job is to get the best possible product or service.

And when you set the Riot Act in place right at the start, clients know you mean business.

Does delivering the Riot Act take nerve?

Of course it does.

Because no one speaks to clients like that? In fact, clients (and that includes you) have got used to playing ‘bossy’ all year-round. Just because you dole out the ca’sh, makes you think that you’ve got the upper hand.

But in fact, you’ve got a relationship

And it takes both parties to work together to get things going. No one should be playing second-fiddle in an agreement, because both parties have their responsibilities and duties. And playing pest is not one of those duties.

Which brings us back to the cancer

If you sit a client down and run them through the Riot Act, you’re more likely to get a client who’s more appreciative of what you do. And as a result, you’ll get a mutually profitable relationship.

But if you don’t set the Riot Act in place, the to-be ‘Cancer Client’ is more likely than not, to stomp all over you, and play hard to get.

I know, I know…

I’m repeating myself. But most relationships founder because there are no clear agreements upfront. And certainly no Riot Acts. The Riot Act makes it more than clear that you don’t intend to suffer fools gladly.

But what if you already have a cancer client? What if they’re already pushing you around? What if they already ask for crazy discounts? What if they already are a pain in the you-know-whats?

Well, if you had one cancer cell, what would you do?

Wait?

Personal Experience

We have a program called the Protege Program. This program takes a lot of dedication, as it’s year-long and the proteges go through a dedicated course of copywriting, web strategy, marketing strategy, PR Tactics, Article Writing, among other things. This program is high-priced, but that doesn’t mean the client will simply stroll in. We make sure we lay down the duties and responsibilities right at the start.

Because it’s a long distance relationship, we put in place not just a form, but also a ‘telephone interview’, where the client is grilled in detail. Any client that doesn’t agree with the Riot Act, is weeded out at the source.

So yes, that’s what you should do as well. Life’s too short for cancerous clients.

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*IMNewswatch would like to thank Psychotactics Ltd for granting exclusive permission to reprint this latest article.

 

 

 

 

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