Opinion regarding a disorganized client

[cesarpinto1989]

Hi everybody,

I´m looking advice from experienced freelancers. I recently got hired as a graphic designer, and though my client has a good team and steady work the entire business is amazingly disorganized and lack of useful information to do my job properly. And if I reach other team members I end up with more questions than answers. It seems like the business is having a lot of problems on this area and I don´t know if it is wise to leave them or to stay with them and endure their issues?

Thanks!

[dr-ian-paul]

Just talk to them and explain your position.  As long as it's consistent and professional, a person will understand any outside perspective and adapty and try to manage with what your tasks are.  But what exactly is the issue with the disorganized information?

To many hands in the process?  Not enough direct answers for design concepts?  To much playful banter and not enough professional direction?

[cesarpinto1989]

Too many hands, the tasks that are instructed are amazingly vague. For instance their social media content planning for one of their clients it literally goes like this:

"Publish content for monday wednesday and friday, on these hours, if you want to know what to post just take a look to their facebook."

So, everything is vague and I literally don´t know how to handle everything because I´m technically working as a blind and I don´t want the client to finish the contract later and leave me a bad review.

Thanks for the advise to talk with him directly.

[florydev]

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Cesar P wrote:

Too many hands, the tasks that are instructed are amazingly vague. For instance their social media content planning for one of their clients it literally goes like this:

"Publish content for monday wednesday and friday, on these hours, if you want to know what to post just take a look to their facebook."

So, everything is vague and I literally don´t know how to handle everything because I´m technically working as a blind and I don´t want the client to finish the contract later and leave me a bad review.

Nobody WANTS that, but you shouldn't be afraid of it.  

I would probably try to figure out what the client wants by, for example, here going to their client's FB account, seeing what they have, making a best guess on what they want, and then positing back to your client as a question.

I am going to do this, is that what you are thinking?

Get a confirmation that is what they want before going forward and then do it, send it back to them and say this is what I have come up with, go?

[tlsanders · Accepted solution]

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Cesar P wrote:

"Publish content for monday wednesday and friday, on these hours, if you want to know what to post just take a look to their facebook."

Possibly this just isn't a good fit for you. Some freelancers are fine with (even prefer) the type of instructions you set forth here. That's a lot more guidance than I usually get from clients. Back when I did social media work, my instructions were usually along the lines of "take over our Facebook and Twitter."

But, that kind of open-ended task isn't for everyone. If it isn't for you, then you have to determine whether you're able to get more concrete information from the client and if not (or if it's a labor-intensive and frustrating process) perhaps just make the decision that this isn't the right client for you.

[prestonhunter]

There's nothing wrong with having a disorganized client.

It just means that the client is billed hourly.