The Internet is fraught with articles for designers – from interior designers to web designers – on how to identify and deal with bad clients.

But here’s the thing: most bad clients don’t even know they’re being bad clients. There’s not exactly a course in college that quizzes you on how to interact with hired professionals. Most of the time they’re just nervous and unsure.

In my years of designing, I’ve uncovered some qualities that make a customer or client amazing. There’s no je ne sais quoi about it. They’re little things, and each can be qualified.

So, qualify I will. Instead of dealing with bad clients, let's turn every potential client into an exceptional client!

1. Do Your Research & Share Your Inspiration

Before hiring a professional, whether you’re getting custom-made bridesmaids’ gifts or booking a photographer for your son’s graduation photos, do some research. Get at least a general idea of what you’re wanting from your professional.

Once you know what you’re hiring them for, specifically, share your inspiration. If you want something super-specific, then show lots of inspiration. If you are wanting to give your professional creative freedom (hint: we like that), then you can be a little more lax, but understand that being lax will give them room. Room you’ll have to live with if you don’t do your research first.

2. Be Organized

You can usually count on professionals to be pretty organized. Professionals – especially in creative fields – tend to be a little Type A, and therefore obsess a bit about being ultra organized. This is their business, and they have to have control over it.

In order to work seamlessly with a designer, you’ll want to be equally (or at least almost so) as organized as they are. This keeps down confusion and work time. As a web designer, it will take me less than half the time to populate a website’s content when a client sends it to me in an organized fashion than if I have multiple drafts in multiple documents. Organization makes projects go faster and smoother.

On the flip side, in the event that your professional isn’t really organized, being an organized client will help things along even more.

3. Listen & Take Notes

Nothing will make your designer’s blood run cold for a project faster than spending multiple phone calls or emails answering the same questions.

While chatting with your professional during absolutely any phase of a project, take notes. Date them. Confirm them. Keep them organized so that you can refer to them later.

Your professional cannot do the work that you hired them to do when they’re spending half their time reanswering questions they’ve already answered for you.

4. Be Ready & Respectful

Hire your professional when you’re ready to tackle your task. Not a moment before.

Whether you’re rebranding your business or overhauling your bathroom, be respectful of yourself and your designer and don’t commit to a project that you’re just not ready to commit to yet, or that you don’t have the time to see through.

5. Meet Your Deadlines

Any professional that’s really a professional will require some sort of deadlines or milestones for your project. This may be as simple as showing up to your photo shoot on time or as complex as meeting ten deadlines for a digital project.

Whatever the complexity, these milestones are in place to make a project run smoothly, and nothing makes less sense than a client who sabotages their own project by not taking these (and the money they put into it) seriously.

6. Let the Creativity Flow

Real creativity takes time. Space. Breathing room.

When creatives have overbearing clients that want to dictate every possible element to the smallest thread/pixel/accessory, you can bet that your creative’s creativity is squashed, and they’re not going to produce their best work.

Give them room to develop a design and ultimately create something wonderful for you.

7. Trust Their Expertise

If your interior designer is trying desperately to talk you out of that luscious white linen sofa while you’re redesigning your living space at 7 months pregnant, do yourself a favor and listen. Please.

Design professionals understand the trends of their field, the big picture, and always keep the end goal and result in sight.

Clients hire professionals for their expertise, and for a client to not trust their professional is counter-productive and a huge waste of time and money.

8. Do Not Expect Daily Interaction

In most professions, a project can take weeks. My web design projects range from 6-10 weeks. A house remodel can take months. When a client expects daily communication, or – worse – gets angry when there isn’t, projects fall apart quickly.

Most professionals will have several projects going at a single time. If we spend part every day just sending out a little hello “just to check in” with our clients every single day, we’d never get any work done. I personally check in at least every three days. Whatever you’re project, sometimes we just need to work, and we’ll contact you when needed.

9. If You Have to Apologize Then Stop What You’re Doing

Sometimes clients know when they’re not being amazing. Sometimes they even apologize.

It’s a pretty good rule of thumb that if you feel you need to apologize for how you’re behaving (not meeting deadlines, reasking questions, poor organization), then you need to stop what you’re doing and fix it.

Then you'll be amazing again.

10. Say Thank You

Your mother taught you this a long time ago. Let’s not forget it.

Quite often clients get so wrapped up in a project that they forget that their working with real people. People with feelings. People who want to feel their work is appreciated.

So, just take a few moments and say thank you.

If you’re graphic designer sends over a mockup, say thank you, even if you want edits. A quick “thank you for your hard work” will go a very, very long way. This little bit of basic respect will be the foundation of a wonderful and fruitful relationship.

BONUS: Extra Work = Extra Money

No matter what your project is, be aware that if you ask for extra work that you're also going to be expected to pay for it. Would you ask your gas station attendant for just one extra gallon of gas but expect not to pay for it? Of course not. So, please, expect to pay for our extra metaphorical gas too. (Ha!)

Conclusion

There you have it! They are basic, and maybe a little common sensical, but completely necessary for being an exceptional client.

And I'll tell you from experience, being an exceptional client will get you a lot further with a professional than being a bad one. Those "how to deal with a bad client" articles tell us to fire you.

I'd much rather we be friends.

Hey professionals, what are you favorite client qualities?