Last Tuesday was the smoothest day I've ever had with a difficult client, here's what made it work | Client Management - Freelance Forum - The Community for Independent Professionals
Like specific numbers? Here's one - 5 out of 7 days last month my "difficult" client still called me screaming over small stuff. That one smooth day people talk about? Yeah, it happened but it doesn't erase the other 6 days of chaos. @robin896 is right on the money, one good experience is just a lucky break, not a sign things are better. I'd rather have a client who's steady and predictable than one who gives me a headache 80% of the time but is nice once in a while. Are you really seeing real change with yours or just a good day?
Keep a log of every interaction for 30 days. Date, time, what they said, how you responded. After two weeks you'll see patterns you can predict and prep for. I started doing this and found out my worst client always blew up on Tuesday mornings, so I started sending them a status update Monday at 4pm. Cut the screaming calls by half. Track the data, don't rely on memory.