How many times have you had conference calls or face-to-face meetings with a client and spent most of your time trying to nail down a small detail like the placement of an ad on the home page? After 40 minutes of going back and forth with the client someone usually gives up and it’s most likely you. Project Managers tend to relinquish the reigns to the client in order to move things along. When going back and forth with clients it’s important to stick with your ideas because the more you restate your idea the more likely it is that you’ll get on the same page with the client.

Here are some do’s and dont’s to think about when you get in these kinds of situations.

DO’s

1. Fully listen to the ideas your client is bringing to the table.
2. Use their ideas and your ideas to come up with a plan you can both agree on.
3. Depending on your client, change the kinds of words you’re using to describe your idea. Some clients are more technical than others.
4. Explain your ideas so that the client understands that you’re just trying to point them in the right direction.
5. Be respectful of their opinions.
6. Give reasons why you think you’re idea would be an effective option for your client.
7. Be persistent, but not forceful. The more you explain your idea the more your client will understand.

DONT’s

1. Never flat out give up on the client and your own ideas.
2. Don’t cut the client off while they’re talking about their idea’s.
3. Don’t tell your client that their ideas are bad. That’s a quick way to lose a client and hurt your reputation.
4. Don’t get frustrated when you’re having to repeat the same information over and over. Clients don’t know as much as you; be patient.
5. Never shut them out of a discussion. Keep them involved and active in making decisions.

I hope this helps you manage client meetings better in the future. Remember that clients will always think they know more about something than you do. In some cases that’s true, but hang in there!

If you’ve experienced this before and have some thoughts feel free to share them below by adding a comment.

So you got a problem do ya? What would you like me to do?….Give me a minute and I’ll go get my Hello Kitty band-aids.

Alright, I know we’ve all heard this before from someone in your personal life or in the workplace. For the sake of this blog post lets assume you’re in the workplace and Johnny, a Project Manager, thinks he knows it all and is busy working on many projects. Cindy, a well respected and liked Department Manager approaches Johnny and begins to talk.

Cindy: Hey Johnny, how’s it going this morning?

Johnny: Oh you know the usual problems. Nothing I can’t handle though.

Cindy: What kind of problems?

Johnny: I’ve got until 5PM, and then my client is expecting me to send him a full package of SEO, concepts and additional documents. If I don’t get this stuff to him today he told me he’s gonna find someone else. So, you can see how big of a problem this is right now.

Cindy: I wouldn’t call it a problem.

Johnny gives her a screwed up look and replies.

Johnny: What do you mean you wouldn’t call it a problem?

Cindy sits down in a chair across the room from Johnny.

Cindy: Well look, Project Managers don’t have it easy. I think you and I can agree on that, but that’s not the point. When you’re working with clients I follow a way of thinking where the term “problem” doesn’t exist. Instead, the term “problems” is replaced by “challenges” or “complications”. Problem, is a word that most people cringe at because we don’t like hearing about all the bad stuff….but you gotta take the good with the bad you know what I mean?

Johnny: I see the point you’re trying to make, but….

Cindy: Hear me out first before you say anything. Problems should be seen as opportunities and therefore they are challenges or tasks in which you can grab the thing by the horns and go above and beyond your own limits. It’s about pushing yourself to be positive when times get tough. So when your back is against the wall, don’t panic. Think about how great of an opportunity it is.

The room goes silent for a moment before Johnny comments back.

Johnny: I don’t know, it sounds a bit cheesy to me.

Cindy: Well I don’t argue with you there, but it makes sense doesn’t it?

Johnny: I suppose it does.

END

The point of all this is to understand that no matter how difficult it might be to manage a project or workload you should stay positive and take everything as an opportunity to grow as an effective Project Manager. If you’re having a difficult time handling multiple tasks think about what you can do to alleviate the pressures of the job position. It begins with organization. If you’re organized, your less likely to sink your own ship.

Remember, you’re in control of your own habits, your habits don’t control you.