Expectations and Etiquette in Your Projects

I’ve been around for a long time….well, 13 years, anyway. During that time, I’ve seen and heard it all. I’ve had people ask me to copy things word for word and color for color (WHAT?!?!?!), and I’ve had people say things to me that I wouldn’t say to my neighbor’s annoying pet monkey!

When you reach a point in your business where you need to hire a graphic designer, a copy writer, a marketing specialist, or any such service provider, there are things you should keep in mind…

FIRST:

Unless the professional you’ve hired is a total stick in the mud, afford them some common respect and courtesy. After all, you chose to hire them for this project, so something about them made them your choice. If the person doesn’t “get” what you want right away, that doesn’t mean they deserve to be treated as if they’re an idiot (or even called one). To these types of professionals-time is money…it’s what they sell, and they don’t want to waste it any more than you do.

Reaching the perfect “zen” in a project takes time, perseverance, patience, and insight.

This leads us to the SECOND thing:

Providing the materials requested in a timely manner, and filling out questionnaires in their entirety will only help to insure that you receive what you want more quickly. Your business should be an open book when you’re completing this type of project (not financially, just everything else). And there’s no such thing as “long-winded” when it comes to descriptions and preferences.

We’ve talked about how you should behave, and what you should provide. Now, let’s talk about

WHAT YOU SHOULD EXPECT…

GUIDELINES

You should expect to receive some information about exactly how the professional you’re working with “works”…deadlines, timeline estimates, how overages are handled, etc. What are the cancellation fees, and guarantees involved in your project.

RESEARCH

Even if your project is simple, it will still require research. What kinds of things are researched? The latest trends, industry standards, competition, viability, and market knowledge are all elements that should be included. Expect a part of your fee to go towards research when using a true professional.

CUSTOMER SERVICE

Emails and phone calls are always a part of your project. Unless there is some sort of difficulty, you should not be charged extra for these, but you should expect that the time from them is included in the time for your project. Phone calls should always be followed up with an email to confirm.

You should expect email replies and return phone calls within 48 business hours (no later).

COMMUNICATION

We are all human, and things do come up in our daily lives. You should expect your service provider to communicate with you what their schedule is like…what hours/days will your project receive priority, what hours/days are they out of the office.

In the same vein, you should expect them to communicate with you whenever they are having any difficulties with your project.

NOTE: Be sure to find out what time zone your service provider is in, so that there’s no misunderstanding about office hours and contact times.

IF ALL ELSE FAILS

There are times when everything goes as it’s ordained that it should…and yet you still don’t get what you want for your project. Approach this as a professional-DO NOT lose your cool (as it’s probably not anyone’s fault-it just happens sometimes). YOU ARE YOUR BUSINESS, and this person may be in the same circles as you…never behave unprofessionally.

Send an email explaining that you are not satisfied despite all efforts from both sides. If you got those guidelines in the beginning, you should already know what your charges will be for walking away. DO NOT expect to walk away paying nothing…remember the professional you hired sells his/her time, and you did use some of that even if you didn’t get the desired result.

Project Cancellation Example:

Dear (Professional),

(me)

Whatever you do, don’t ruin your professional reputation by telling the provider that they don’t know what they’re doing, or that they “stink” at what they do. Accept it as a slight failure and move on.

WHEN ALL IS RIGHT WITH THE WORLD

Now, we’ve talked about how to handle being disappointed, let’s also talk about what to do when your provider goes above and beyond the call of duty!

Commend, Refer, Testify!

Commend: Send an email thanking the professional for the job they did for you. Let them know how much they are appreciated.

Refer: Tell your business associates and colleagues about the service you received. Make sure they know that you recommend this provider when they need the same services in the future.

Testify: If your provider has a “testimonials” area on their site, write up a quick synopsis of why you were satisfied with them, and why you’d recommend that others use them. SIDE NOTE: be sure to use your URL in your signature, and ask the provider if it can be included to open in a new window on their site.

With planning, every experience you have as a business owner can be pleasant, even if it’s not completely successful.