Sooner or later, if you work as a virtual assistant, you are bound to come in contact with at least one Difficult Client. These are defined by the following behaviors:
1. Impatience & Irritation
2. Angry Emails
3. Yelling
4. Irrational Demands
5. Threats
6. Late Payments, or Not Paying at All
Before you get too scared, and think about ditching your comfortable work-at-home living, let me tell you that there are several ways to work with these Difficult Clients, and even possibly train them to your way of thinking.
Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. had it right when they said that the best way to solve a conflict is with non-violence. Yelling at a difficult client is only likely to yield even worse results than you are already getting. You may lose this client forever or, if an invoice is still outstanding, not get paid. And none of us wants that. Coward's Guide to Conflict offers real-life techniques for resolving conflicts, even if you prefer to curl up into a little ball at the very thought of your Difficult Client. This mediation coach and former psychologist really gets it, and can help you, before you lose your mind.
The second step may be to augment your understanding of conflict, and why it arises in the first place. Universal Class has a wonderful online class called Mastery Over Anger, which teaches tools for dealing with conflict, whether physical, emotional or mental, in ways other than violence. It is extremely useful in your personal life as well as your business life, and just might teach you a few techniques for tolerating your mother-in-law, too. All lessons are conducted online, so you can complete them whenever you have the time, which may as well be now.
If things get really bad, and you are not able to alleviate tensions with your Difficult Client through talking, you may need a lawyer. If you have a signed agreement spelling out your services, along with any deadlines for delivery, and your client still will not pay, you may need to take him or her to small claims court. Legal Zoom is an excellent source for filing your small claim, simply and easily, right over the Internet. With a minimum of (additional) stress, you can be on your way to collecting money that is rightly yours, without having to fight with your client on the phone or over email.
And if all else fails, get yourself a nice bottle of Chateau St. Jean 2002 Sonoma County Reserve Chardonnay (with a 98 point rating in Wine Enthusiast) and give yourself over to the "bright inviting notes of pineapple, nectarines, and kiwi."
When you have calmed down some, you may realize that your life is better off without this Difficult Client. You may even want to join GameFly.com, rent a few video games, and take out your frustration in a way that is not going to hurt anyone, except maybe your joystick thumb. And that has not landed anyone in jail yet, so far as I know.
Copyright 2006 AssistantGirls.com
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