How to treat tough clients, part 1

“Clients from hell”—that’s what some people call them. And if you stay in business long enough, you’re bound to encounter one. Even relationship expert Andrew Sobel isn’t immune, and that’s why he, along with Jerold Panas, authored Power Relationships: 26 Irrefutable Laws for Building Extraordinary Relationships and the accompanying workbook Power Relationships Personal Planning Guide.

One client, Sobel recalls, started off relaxed and charming but soon morphed into a “mean-spirited tyrant.” When Sobel delivered a memo to him, the client “noticed a typo on the second page and began angrily yelling at me. ‘This is shoddy, unprofessional work,’ he shouted across the table, his eyes bulging and face turning red. ‘How could you show this to me? This is totally unacceptable!’ His rant continued for a full minute.”