Re: venting about frustrating clients....long and tangentially henna
Posted by Kenzi on August 26, 2003 at 11:30:19:
In reply to: venting about frustrating clients....long and tangentially henna posted by Natasha on August 25, 2003 at 23:55:21:
I think henna sometimes warps the rules of regular serviceindustry-type interactions. The bond between a henna artist and
her client is more intimate than most services and therefor, as
henna artists, we tend to approach our clients as friends. This is
a very nice phenomenon because the client gets to feel special
which makes the occasion even more special. The downside of
this is that they feel more comfortable making changes to their
plans assuming that because you are a "friend" you will be
flexible. I have had people hire me for 8 hours and then pare it
down to two hours the day before (and I turned down other gigs
to do this one), not want to pay me the agreed upon price...I even
had one situation where I felt friendly toward the client, she
asked for a discount and I told her I wouldn't charge her for travel
time; big mistake! The trip there is one hour by bus (Staten
Island...you know the drill); getting there was fine but I sat around
while they ate and chatted and finally got started doing henna
about 2 hours after arriving, then did the three hours of henna I
promised to do; then when it came time to leave she couldn't
take me to the bus station because her husband wasn't home
and she couldn't drive after dark without her husband's
permission! She suggested that I spent the night, but I finally
insisted that she take me to the station. End result, I was out for
8 hours and got paid for 3, not one penny more. Sigh!
My point in all this blah blah is that we don't have to always treat
our clients like our friends; when push comes to shove you won't
be their friend but rather their hired hand, and their needs will
always come before yours. I know the desire to do what you can
to get bridal gigs (I do the same) but don't be a doormat; just be
calm and business and explain to her that you are a
professional artist and have other engagements and you have to
remain professional with all your clients and not just show up
late or change the agreed upon time at the last minute. If she
gets snippy remind her that you didn't ask her for a deposit and
that you are giving her a discount on your rate. Even pull the
"friend" thing and tell her that you felt a connection with her and
that's why you agreed to do her party at a reduced rate.
This IS her special day, maybe the most important day of her life,
and she DOES deserve to have it be perfect. But we all deserve
perfect lives and rarely have them; it's the imperfection in our
lives that build character! I'm sure her caterer would NOT stand
for a change in the time of the wedding, so why should you just
drop everything else in your life because she changed her mind
at the last minute. You have rights too.
Stand firm. Sometimes people are like wild dogs and once one
of the dogs snarls a little and holds its ground, they back down
and may even show their bellies to you.
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