Autonomous Animator Client Negotiation Tactics (Part 2 of 2)
(Part 2 of 2)
‘But if you professionally and politely persist to identify all necessary information up front, your projects will run more smoothly, you’ll deliver a better product, your clients will be happier, you’ll make more money, and you might even have more fun along the way.’
Providing production timeframe estimates to a client up front is sometimes even trickier than providing a cost estimate (see last month’s article, Client Negotiation Tactics Part 1 of 2).
Being that time is of far greater value than money, identifying a client’s firm deadline and establishing an agreed upon turnaround time is the most critical aspect of any production.
Withholding Information
Unfortunately, the item that tends to be the most difficult to get a straight answer from a client is a firm deadline. Clients try to hold back this information as if it will provide them with a benefit or some type of financial gain by doing so.
Some clients may feel that if they hold back the actual due date, you may offer up a turnaround time that is sooner than they really need, which would somehow be advantageous to them. This being the case, these clients will do everything they can to suppress this information so they don’t feel like they’re shooting themselves in the foot by gifting you with “extra” time when you might commit to delivering sooner.
Under Their Thumb
Additionally, there is an old-school mentality still prevalent today that makes some clients insist on trying to be as hard-nosed and overly demanding as possible to always keep their service providers in check so they never feel comfortable or become complacent.
The goal of this tactic is to make service providers feel like they are never truly satisfying the client and that they are mere moments away from losing their favor which, as these types of clients believe, will make the service provider more than willing to bend over backwards to do anything and everything the client wants, throwing feasibility or clearly outlined terms of the production agreement to the curb. And moreover, be eternally grateful for the privilege of allowing the client to apply this undue pressure throughout the entire process.
Toxic clients or not, it is critical to identify actual deadlines up front, so be prepared to engage in as many and as lengthy back-and-forth discussions as necessary to collect this vital piece of the puzzle.
Deadline Ping-Pong
Does the following conversation seem all too familiar?
Client: “How long will it take you to get me the animation?”
You: “When do you need it?”
Client: “Yesterday.”
You: “Can you tell me when you really need it? It would be much easier to establish a date based on your needs.”
Client: “Well, how fast can you get it to me?” You: “I understand you’re in a rush and I’m happy to work with your schedule the best I can. What is the latest date possible that will work for you?”
Client: “That depends — how soon can you get it to me?”
And repeat ad nauseam.
Instead of pulling what’s left of your hair out of your head and/or banging it against the nearest brick wall, try this: Interject a date that is probably much later than the client would expect and see if the shock reflex makes them reveal the actual deadline. For example: Client: “How long will it take you to get me the animation?”
You: “When do you need it?” Client: “Yesterday.”
You: “Can you tell me when you really need it? It would be much easier to establish a date based on your needs.”
Client: “Well, how fast can you get it to me?”
You: “I understand you’re in a rush and I’m happy to work with your schedule the best I can. What is the latest date possible that will work for you?”
Client: “That depends. How soon can you get it to me?”
You: “Ok, to be honest, I can’t commit 100% to this date yet because we haven’t discussed the full scope of the project, but I’m guessing three months.”
Client: “Three months? I need it in three weeks!”
And they you have it — the true deadline in all its glory. From here you can work backwards to set up preliminary submittal dates, schedule time for client feedback, and for you to perform
fixes and revisions.
Persistence for the Win
Client negotiations can be tricky if not downright confusing, even aggravating at times. But if you professionally and politely persist to identify all necessary information up front, your projects will run more smoothly, you’ll deliver a better product, your clients will be happier, you’ll make more money, and you might even have more fun along the way. ◆