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I Promise It Won't Hurt My Feelings
A common obstacle I have to overcome as a freelancing creative
If you’re in a client-based profession, then you‘ll probably relate to this. Clients new to the industry will tend to hesitate when giving you criticism or revealing what they actually want.
And to be honest, you can’t blame clients for this hesitation. They’re people too. Even though clients may be paying for a service, they are going to face the same anxieties, any normal people would feel when told to criticize someone else’s work.
I find this to be especially true if your work with clients requires creativity.
Creative endeavors are one of those things that most of us would feel uncomfortable criticizing. Who would really want to tell a painter that their latest work sucks?
It can be the little things like this that hinder your ability to deliver the product that’s perfect for your respective client.
The Solution: Bring Up the Elephant in the Room ASAP
What I found works best is bringing this common issue up before it even gets a chance to fester. Letting all that negative pressure build-up can only result in an ugly explosion or, at the least, and unsatisfied customer at the end of the process.
Instead, it’s better to run headfirst into the uncomfortable situation and solve the issues as soon as possible.
My “You can’t hurt my feelings” disclaimer usually goes something like this;
“So I just want to make sure you know that this is your {website/business} and during our time together, I work for you. That means, don’t hesitate to tell me if you don’t like something I create or simply have another vision for it. Yes, that includes even the little things. If you don’t hold back from giving me criticism, the end-results of your project & my ability to design are both going to benefit.”
And if the client still can’t think of anything to complain about after your talk, knowing that they are free/encouraged to do so will bring about a sense of calm and assurance which you can almost immediately see with the look on their face.
