The Art of Client Service

Chapter 39Make No Commitment without Consultation

As a young account executive starting out in the business, I had the good fortune to work with the client from hell. I don't know if this client hated agencies in general, or simply hated me in particular, but it seemed as if I could do no right.

I dreaded telephone calls from this client. I would flinch before picking up the phone. Meetings were worse. I'd lie awake the night before in dread.

I remember one particularly difficult discussion about a schedule. The client was biting: “It takes you guys longer to write an ad than it took Tolstoy to write War and Peace. I want to see copy two days from now, not two weeks from now. Okay?”

I didn't know it at the time, but this was a test. I was intimidated by this client. When he said, “Okay?” it was strictly rhetorical. He meant, “Get it done, you worthless bag carrier!”

The easy way out would have been to say, “You got it!” and beat a hasty retreat, but I knew that would only delay worse pain. There was no way we could have copy to him in two days, and when we failed to deliver, all the client's rage would be visited on me.

I also knew that saying “no” would mean a meltdown right then and there. He'd pick up the phone, call my boss, and scream at her.

So, in an instant, I said, “Let me make a quick call and see what we can do.” The client looked at me derisively. “Sure, go ahead and call your pals.” I stepped out of his office, found a phone, and spoke with my creative colleagues. ...