One of the hardest lessons to learn as a creative professional is that when things are going right, you never seem to hear about it.
Seriously. You’ll killed yourself on a project, burn the midnight, dig way down deep and flawlessly bring a project to life. It gets released into the world, and … nothing.
No fireworks, no banners flying, no parades, not even a phone call to say “thank you”. Even the best clients will rarely follow up with you. This is just a plain and simple fact of life as a creative and you need to get used to it.
Now, after you’ve delivered a job and the phone rings right away – be wary. You might have a situation. Generally speaking, a client will not hesitate to call when they found that errant typo, or the brochures got smashed when shipped from the printer, or when any number of things that can go wrong on project did.
Be prepared. Be professional. And always remember: Even when things go south, you can always turn a crisis into an opportunity. That is what professionals do.
Clients are quick to complain and slow to compliment. Should you be fortunate enough to have a client who calls to say thank you, who works with you like a partner and respects the work you do, make sure you do everything in your power to hold on to them.