c/talking-to-clients

TIL my 5 minute email intro cost me a $2k contract

I spent 6 months sending short catch-all intros to designers and got zero replies. Then a senior dev replied with a screenshot of my email saying he couldn't tell what I actually wanted. Anyone else ever realize they were being too vague this whole time?

2 comments

mason_murray8•4d ago

I finally saw the actual numbers on losing a client over email tone

Had a client for 2 years, smooth sailing, then I sent one email that came off way too blunt. 3 days later they forwarded my whole email chain to their boss and pulled the contract. I saw the before and after in their replies - friendly to cold overnight. The difference was literally one sentence where I skipped the usual pleasantries. Has anyone else had a client bail because of how you worded an email?

3 comments

martinez.paul•6d ago

Took me 5 years to realize I was over-explaining in emails to clients

I used to write these massive paragraphs justifying every little decision in my design work, thinking it showed I was thorough. Then one client last spring just replied with 'k' to a 3 paragraph email, and it hit me that they didn't care about the reasoning, they just wanted the result. I trimmed my emails down to bullet points and a clear next step, and suddenly people started replying faster and with actual questions instead of just nodding along. Anyone else catch themselves writing novels to clients when a few lines would do?

3 comments

coleman.hannah•8d ago

The client who argued my invoice over a 15 minute email chain

I was on-site at a coffee shop in Austin last Tuesday when a client called me confused about a $75 charge for email updates. Turns out he forgot he asked me to rewrite three drafts of his pitch deck over a week. I pulled up the timestamps on my email replies and showed each one took about 5 minutes. He paid the full amount after I read him the exact times, but now I add a line item for 'revision time' on every quote. Has anyone else had clients push back on small charges like that?

3 comments

corap61•9d ago

Tried sending a voice memo instead of a follow-up email to a client last Thursday

I had this client who kept misreading tone in my emails, so I recorded a 90-second voice note about their project update instead. They replied in 10 minutes saying it was way clearer and asked me to do it again next time. Has anyone else tried ditching written messages for audio with tricky clients?

3 comments

karenc20•10d ago

Why nobody talks about the Tuesday that felt like a whole year of client drama

Last Tuesday in Denver I had a client call at 8 AM where the guy went off on a tangent about a typo in a draft email I sent back in March. Then at noon another client asked me to rewrite a whole proposal because they changed their budget from $5k to $2k. Later that night I got a 9 PM email from a third person saying my meeting recap was too short. What made it stand out was how all three problems were about communication expectations, not the actual work. Has anyone else had one day where a bunch of clients all decided to be extra picky at the same time?

3 comments

wadejenkins•13d ago

Took me 3 client meetings to realize I was talking too much

I used to think being a good communicator meant filling every silence with talking points and explanations. But after a meeting with a contractor in Austin last Tuesday, he literally set a timer on his phone and said 'I'll give you 5 minutes, then I have questions.' I realized I had been rambling to prove I knew my stuff. Now I shut up after I give the key info and let them respond. It's amazing how much better the conversations go when I let the other person steer half the time. Has anyone else found that clients actually trust you more when you talk less?

3 comments

adam414•14d ago

I used to write 3 page proposals until a client told me they only read the first paragraph

For like 2 years straight I thought clients wanted all the details upfront. Scope, deliverables, timelines, backup plans, everything. Then last September a guy I was pitching to just flat out said "dude I only skimmed the first bit." That hit me hard because I spent 4 hours on that document. Now I keep proposals to under 10 bullet points. Anyone else find that shorter proposals actually close more deals?

4 comments

pat_harris•15d ago

Tried sending a voice memo instead of an email and it backfired hard

I had a client who kept misreading my tone in emails, so I sent her a quick 2 minute voice memo to explain a change in scope. She wrote back saying it felt 'too casual and unprofessional' and asked me to stick to writing. Now I'm second guessing if voice is ever okay with new clients or if I just picked the wrong person to try it on. Has anyone else gotten weird reactions from switching up how you communicate?

3 comments

the_olivia•16d ago

Had a client talk over me for 10 minutes then ask what I thought

Last week I was on a call with a guy from San Diego who wanted me to redo his bathroom plumbing. He spent the whole first 10 minutes telling me about his vision, his tile choices, and why his uncle said it should be done a certain way. When he finally stopped for air he goes "so what do you think?" and I hadn't said a single word yet. I told him straight up "you didn't let me talk" and then he actually laughed and apologized. Has anyone else dealt with someone who just keeps going without letting you get a word in?

3 comments

abby_fisher•17d ago

What happened when a client told me my emails were too wordy - did I overcorrect?

A client last month straight up said my emails were 'a wall of text' and they almost missed a deadline because of it. So I switched to bullet points and short sentences, like 3 lines max per paragraph. But now a different client asked if I was being rude because my replies feel too short. Has anyone else found a middle ground on email length that works?

4 comments

faith27•17d ago

Had to choose between a scope document and a quick verbal go-ahead last week

I was working with a small business owner in Austin who wanted me to redo their website. They kept saying 'just start, I'll know what I want when I see it.' I had to decide between writing up a detailed scope of work first or just jumping in based on our quick chat. I went with the scope document even though it took me 2 hours to write. Turned out they wanted completely different colors and layout than what I assumed. That document saved me from redoing 3 pages and charging them for extra hours. They actually thanked me for being clear about what was included. Has anyone else dealt with a client who insists on skipping the planning phase?

3 comments

shane170•20d ago

That one Zoom call where I heard myself talk for 5 minutes straight

I was on a call with a guy from Ohio last Tuesday, going over a project timeline, and he just let me ramble about milestones and deadlines without saying a word. After I finally stopped, he goes, 'So what do you actually need from me right now?' and I realized I wasn't asking him anything. How do you keep your clients from just sitting quiet while you fill the silence?

3 comments

perry.jesse•20d ago

My laptop screen went black mid-Zoom with a client in Portland and I had to finish the call using my phone propped against a coffee mug.

It happened last Tuesday during a project update meeting, and all I could do was apologize and pray they didn't notice my dog barking in the background while I frantically texted them the rest of the info has anyone else had tech fail at the worst possible moment?

3 comments

xenam84•27d ago

I used to write three paragraph emails to clients and now I send bullet points with a one sentence summary at the top

Switched after a builder in Oak Park told me he stopped reading my quotes halfway through and I realized I was losing money on every job because nobody wades through all that fluff.

3 comments