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One of the most challenging parts of being in the wedding photography business can be working with difficult clients. It’s a hard pill to swallow when you encounter such situations, and sometimes, it can get tricky trying to navigate it without hurting your reputation. Fortunately for you, we have some tips that could give you some guidance on how to deal with difficult clients. You can use these to avoid entering sticky situations while working with difficult clients, or if you’re already knee-deep in a tough spot with a client, you could use these tips to come out unscathed.

Strategies For Working With Difficult Clients

Being in the wedding photography business, you already know that dealing with difficult clients and unhappy customers could potentially cost you precious time and resources. Moreover, the negative energy can also add stress, impact service quality, and lessen productivity. Here are our top tips for dealing with difficult customers:

1. Set Expectations + Write Them Down

Setting client expectations straight from the get-go is invaluable advice for dealing with difficult customers – one that can save you a lot of headaches. Try to ensure that all parties involved are aware of the deliverables. Also, an easy way to keep clients happy is to follow the motto of underpromise and over-deliver! That doesn’t mean that you can’t graciously say no if a client puts out unrealistic expectations or demands, but you should strive not to erupt into an angry tirade – tough as this may be sometimes. 

When working with difficult wedding clients, difficult situations might arise when expectations aren’t realistic or don’t match the delivery of service. Perhaps you could try to set realistic expectations for the final product, then surprise them with something better than what you originally discussed. Furthermore, make sure you keep all communication in writing. It helps avoid any unfortunate disputes further down the line. And while challenging situations might arise even after you’ve offered excellent customer service, having clearly defined agreements could help protect both parties. 

2. Clear Communication And Being Empathetic Helps

Clear and successful communication with wedding photography clients can help ensure that everyone is on the same page and that presumptions do not cause problems down the line. When working with difficult clients, it’s important to remain professional and implement strategies for effective communication. But how do you handle an interaction with a difficult client? 

• Taking ownership when it comes to tough circumstances is never a bad idea, even if the issue isn’t initially your fault. This will help you preserve a positive relationship with your wedding clients and ultimately save you from additional stress and potential loss of business. 
  
  
• Showing empathy and understanding toward a client’s situation often helps alleviate tension and facilitate resolution. If you have to communicate an issue to a client, try your best to use language that conveys understanding rather than sounding aggressive or patronizing. 
  
  
• Additionally, promptly responding to challenging scenarios, such as missed client communication or scheduling blunders, could prevent expensive mistakes. When managing difficult clients, this will help limit any misunderstandings and make your message feel more sincere, resulting in happy customers.

3. Don’t Ignore The Red Flags

Red flags can show up in various forms when meeting and getting to know new clients – whether it’s managing client expectations that seem too high or their communication style that doesn’t sit well. All the small flags can tell you a lot about what kind of client you’re going to be dealing with and prepare you for any obstacles down the road. 

When working with difficult customers, try your best to identify certain areas they might come back frustrated by or put extra effort into and make sure they are perfect. Doing this may surprise them and leave them feeling taken care of from start to finish. Pay attention to any reservations they may have during conversations so that they can be addressed quickly before they turn into an issue. Additionally, while preparing for how do you deal with difficult clients, ensure to pinpoint which areas are the most important to them; dedicate more resources on taking care of these things as professional results will impress them more than anything else.

4. Stay As Far As Possible From Heated Arguments

Tense conversations and dilemmas are inevitable in the service industry, and as a wedding photography business owner, it’s important to remain composed and courteous – for both professional and personal growth. When wondering what strategies do you use to negotiate with a difficult or rude client, know that releasing tension can be a powerful tool in those times. 

Clients can become overwhelmed or stressed in high-stakes moments. To diffuse tension in challenging situations, try adding polite sentences such as “I understand your point of view” or “Let me see what I can do for you”. When both parties are willing to listen and remain calm instead of engaging in heated debates, there is definitely more room for finding creative solutions that satisfy everyone’s needs. 

Suggested Read: Common Wedding Client Problems & How To Handle Them

5. Take The Problem-Solving Route

When working with difficult clients, there might be times when all you want to do is scream, but instead, you have to keep your cool and remain professional. As you work on how to deal with challenging clients, remember the goal is to understand exactly what they’re asking for – whether it’s an additional edit, more photos, or early delivery – then try your best to accommodate them. Figure out what their real complaint is, and try finding the way out of the problem! If you come at any problem with a heart for listening and caring enough to find a solution, then everyone will benefit in the long run. Your reputation with clients will improve when you handle difficult moments gracefully and achieve lasting solutions.

Further Read: How To Ask Your Wedding Clients For Reviews

As a wedding photographer, you know full well that it isn’t always rainbows and sunshine when dealing with clients. Crisis management is one of the key tips for dealing with difficult customers. And at times, when you’re in a complete fix for how do you respond to difficult clients, remember that even the best of us make mistakes. In these situations, apologizing is often the smart way to mend a broken relationship and move forward. However worse the conversation goes, or the problem escalates, following the above-mentioned tips for dealing with difficult clients could help. Try not to lose sight of the fact that your customers should be treated accordingly to maintain a positive client relationship and continual trustworthiness.

At ShootDotEdit, we strive to help wedding photographers reach their true potential as creative professionals and business owners. Part of how we do that is by taking photo editing off your plate with our professional editing services. To learn more about how we can help, take a look at our pricing plans.