The Folly of Trying to Please Everyone
We've all heard it. "The customer is always right." Except, of course, when they're not. I don't think anyone is more acutely aware of this truth than a vendor who works in the hospitality industry.
Some clients, let's face it, would not be satisfied if all of their expectations were exceeded by double, the job were free of charge, and you included a yacht as an extra added bonus. And some clients, let's be honest, are simply bat-shit crazy.
I ran into some of the latter on a recent job. You know it's going to be a roller coaster when the GM and the AGM of the property pull you into an office, close the office door, and both tell you, with a very serious look, that the owner is "bat-shit crazy." Thinking they are just kidding around, you try to laugh it off, but they tell you "No, we're serious. They're freakin' looney tunes." Realizing they weren't kidding, I knew I was in for a ride.
And what a ride it turned out to be. I won't bore you with the details, but it turned out to be literally impossible to please these people. Their expectations and demands shifted dramatically from hour to hour, and they became abusive and insulting when I didn't say "how high?" when they screamed at me to jump.
They treated me as if I were from a lower "caste" back home in India, even though I'm not Indian. To them, I was unworthy of consideration, a servant, a nobody. Someone they could abuse and order around at will. Except they really didn't even know what they really wanted.
When I balked at some of their more ridiculous demands, they threatened to smear my name all over social media and ruin my reputation among other Patels.
To my credit, I smiled, bit my lip, and just did my job. Of course, although the images we produced for them were stunning, they were not happy. "We hate them all" was all I could get out of them. When I asked for particulars, they were silent. When I asked for examples, they had none to give.
I learned a long time ago that when you encounter this type of client, you're far better off to simply block them on social media, walk away, and wash your hands of them. Forever. Which is precisely what I did.
But it underscores a glaring truth that we don't talk about a lot... you really can't please everyone. So don't beat yourself up too badly when you run into one of these people. It's not you. It's them. Really.
Some clients, let's face it, would not be satisfied if all of their expectations were exceeded by double, the job were free of charge, and you included a yacht as an extra added bonus. And some clients, let's be honest, are simply bat-shit crazy.
I ran into some of the latter on a recent job. You know it's going to be a roller coaster when the GM and the AGM of the property pull you into an office, close the office door, and both tell you, with a very serious look, that the owner is "bat-shit crazy." Thinking they are just kidding around, you try to laugh it off, but they tell you "No, we're serious. They're freakin' looney tunes." Realizing they weren't kidding, I knew I was in for a ride.
And what a ride it turned out to be. I won't bore you with the details, but it turned out to be literally impossible to please these people. Their expectations and demands shifted dramatically from hour to hour, and they became abusive and insulting when I didn't say "how high?" when they screamed at me to jump.
They treated me as if I were from a lower "caste" back home in India, even though I'm not Indian. To them, I was unworthy of consideration, a servant, a nobody. Someone they could abuse and order around at will. Except they really didn't even know what they really wanted.
When I balked at some of their more ridiculous demands, they threatened to smear my name all over social media and ruin my reputation among other Patels.
To my credit, I smiled, bit my lip, and just did my job. Of course, although the images we produced for them were stunning, they were not happy. "We hate them all" was all I could get out of them. When I asked for particulars, they were silent. When I asked for examples, they had none to give.
I learned a long time ago that when you encounter this type of client, you're far better off to simply block them on social media, walk away, and wash your hands of them. Forever. Which is precisely what I did.
But it underscores a glaring truth that we don't talk about a lot... you really can't please everyone. So don't beat yourself up too badly when you run into one of these people. It's not you. It's them. Really.
Comments
Post a Comment