Getting out of the “wall of shame emails” spiral
Assume you are very behind in a project. Of course, it’s on you to finish it; that is, as a business owner, to pay with what’s left of your cash-flow. At this point, it’s more than likely your relationship with your client will end up a wall of shame.
You know you are stuck in a spiral, with each side replying back with harsh emails that take a hell of a time to prepare.
You might think it’s a waste of time, but that’s the only outcome you end-up with.
Because when you face your client, your mind goes blank. The few things you bring are usually swiped during a call or a face to face meeting with your client. More than often, it’s only after the meeting that things are clearer in your head…but it’s too late. Nothing changes, and you still feel it’s unfair. As a result, the wall of shame resumes and at best you will feel robbed.
What you sometimes tend to forget is that your client might be quite a veteran in terms of negotiation. When they are challenged by you, they not only have the experience to fire back but are also well prepared…whereas you might come to them almost naked.
How do you prepare for an especially difficult meeting?
1. Find someone you can trust, that is, having an extra brain available to talk to.
2. Write down; not for sending an email, but to really structure your thoughts. Words on a sheet of paper don’t lie. If it’s messy as hell in there, it will be even messier when you will talk to your client in the heat of the debate.
3. Put them in sequence. Start drawing figures so to help your mind build a structured pitch, something that makes sense to you, but more importantly, to your client.
Also, it is worth taking a step back during your pitch. Why such issues happened. Why the validation took so long? What are the causes and how did they affect the planning?
The more you invest time in preparing, the higher your chances of ending up with something that would be good for you, since you’ll get paid for your work; and for your client (because she will be able to continue working with you…as finding someone else will be too much of a pain!)
