Dear Aunty Entity,

I’m convinced my client hates me

I took over an account from someone who had been with the client for 3 years and they were disgruntled about them going. The last few weeks have been difficult in terms of establishing a relationship and getting things done because of this negative vibe. Today when I phoned to ask about an approval for something I got yelled at before having the phone slammed down on me.

Am I being paranoid and how can I get out of this?

Nora Para

* * *

Dear Nora,

Inheriting a client from someone who had developed a relationship over a significant amount of time is difficult. It takes time to gain trust and for them to develop their own level of confidence in you.
As for the nasty phone exchange, people have bad days and it may be entirely unrelated to you: maybe their car broke down, maybe they ruined their best pair of shoes, maybe they got bad news that morning and you just caught them at a bad time.

Then again, sometimes you just have to admit it: ‘your client doesn’t like you’.

It’s one of the worst things in the world when this happens because, especially in the project management or client services world it is your job to get along with everyone and yup, it’s nearly always personal.

I don’t think there is ever a textbook way of dealing with hostility because it really depends on you, your personality and your working methods. It takes time to build trust and a relationship. If you are able to, quietly working on their project/account and taking care of things in the background while keeping them up to date can convey a sense of reliability and you may find their attitude softening once they see what a good job you are doing. Attention to detail, a courteous and professional manner at all times can only help here and it’s probably a good idea to behave as if that phone call never took place.

However, if the hostility continues to the point where it is affecting the ability to do your job sometimes it is best to cut your losses and move to another account or disengage yourself from the relationship if you have the luxury of being able to do so.

Just remember – for every client you feel hates you, there are sure to be a couple who will sing your praises. It’s just the way it rolls.

Aunty Entity

* * *

Surviving meetings, part two:

(See part one here.)

Game: Phrases that should have stayed behind in the 80s.

Stuck in a meeting for hours?
Finding staying awake and alert a problem?
Snoring, dribbling and falling off your chair are not advisable and potentially job-threatening actions.
Keep alert by playing: ‘spot the meeting cliché’ *

* various iterations of the game are well known ie: bullshit bingo

You’ll need:

• Meeting room. Preferably over designed with numbingly uncomfortable chairs and at least one piece of artwork guaranteed to make your eyes water.
• Meeting attendees. Extra points allocated for any or all of the following: Ponytails on men, crumpled linen jackets, bow ties, PowerPoint presentations including graphs, flip charts, socks in colours other than standard grey, black or navy, more than 4 x blackberrys on the table at any one time. Note: the more senior the meeting attendees, the better the chances of meeting clichés.
• Note-taking, refreshments or reasons for holding said meeting are optional extras

Points:

Score two points for each phrase uttered. 4 points if two phrases are mentioned within the space of 5 minutes.

2 – 8 points: generally allowable, though cliché sources should be treated with utter disdain

8 - 12 points: approaching a high level of bullshit and waffle. Resist the temptation to beat speaker with blunt instrument repeatedly until they stop talking/breathing.

12+ points: cliché alert. Have the speaker run for Head of State, CEO of a global corporate or establish an internet start-up company.

Meeting clichés:

• On the same page
• Take offline
• Think outside the square/box
• Talk me through it
• Blue sky
• Best practice
• Singing from the same hymn-sheet
• Paradigm
• Moving the goalposts
• At the end of the day
• Comfort zone
• Win-win situation
• Rock the boat
• Core competency
• Action item
• Touch base
• Synergy

And finally – how often do you hear this:

“I’m in a meeting”

We all know you are NOT you liar. You’re chatting to your mates, in the queue at McDonalds, on the bus, texting your boyfriend/girlfriend, emailing your mother or reading this blog.

Aunty Entity

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