Clients from Hell (and Other Love Stories)

We’ve all experienced the “client from hell.” I am doing research in preparation for an educational seminar dealing with this serious topic and would like your help by sharing your own stories with me.  Anonymity is expected.

One of the most traumatic experiences an architect faces is when the client relationship breaks down. Sometimes this happens in a meeting, other times it arrives in the form of a certified letter from an attorney. In either case, most architects take the blow personally and respond emotionally. I want to examine the correct approaches to handling these situations so the firm and the team are not emotionally and financially exhausted and energy can be applied to areas that benefit the firm and their projects.

The objective is to gather enough information from AE professionals to make an entertaining and educational event where attendees will leave with a better understanding of:

• Why client relations break down.
• Proactive measures the staff can take to manage the client and mitigate problems.
• Ways to increase sensitivity amongst team members so they can recognize subtle cues coming from the client and respond appropriately before the situation gets out-of-hand.
• If a breakdown occurs, best methods for response and management.

If you want to share your own stories and opinions on this blog - please do so. If you feel an increased level of anonymity is necessary, then I encourage you to email me at stevenburns@me.com. I guarantee that no names will ever be used in public without your permission. I am not interested in knowing the parties as much as learning about what happened; how you handled it, what lessons you may have learned and how you may have made changes in your practice to prevent it from happening again.

I appreciate all of you helping me in this really important and rarely discussed topic.