Super Duper Difficult Client

Nov 12, 2012

Sonja B.

hi,
your input on this one ladies, please: i had a potential client on the phone the other day who wants me to do her makeup for a wedding (not hers). she told me ahead that she is very picky, can be difficult, and as quoted "has no problem saying: i don't like it, take it off and start again".
how would you deal with this? am i expected to redo her makeup in the event she doesn't like it? do you charge more? there is no trial before as i only do that for brides.i really just want to tell her to go find someone else.... suggestions anyone..?

Nov 12, 2012

Dania M.

Make sure you take a portfolio to her so she can tell you the style she likes. Make sure she is seeing what you are doing (mirror) so she can say what she doesn't like right then and there.

Its better to have a client say they dont like it to your face than wear your work and then talk smack about you after the job is done.

I dont think you should charge more, your JOB is to please the client. Do exactly what she request. Make sure you understands what she likes and doesnt like, what she expects.

The easy way out is to refer her to another MUA... telling her to find someone else is poor customer service.

Nov 12, 2012

Cynthia H.

I agree with everything that Dania said. Although you stated that you only do trial runs for brides, I think you should make this an exception and do a trial run on her so on the day of she knows what to expect and you can do it without being stressed out. Good luck xoxoxo 

Nov 12, 2012

Liza G.

I would have a long discussion about exactly what she wants/likes before I put any makeup on her. I would def show her some pictures for reference or ask her to show you pictures (from magazines or online) of the type of makeup she likes. it sounds like maybe this woman had a bad experience in the past so I would accept this as a challenge in helping to change her mind about makeup artistry if she did in fact have a bad experience before. yes I do think you should redo the makeup if she doesn't like it. you are getting paid to provide a service to the customers liking. 

Nov 12, 2012

Mary P.

My advice: If she's paying you, don't be rude. Your number one concern should be the client. If she's admitted to the attitude, just do what she ask of you to make her happy. Its what Customer Service is about, and... Yes, tell her there will be an extra charge to re-do her make up in the event she does not like it. Its a different story if she was being aggressive towards you & cussing, but if she's not, then just go about it with a smile instead of turning her away. In this industry, your clients will be picky, accept that because its their face, they are the ones wearing the makeup & its understandable to want it PERFECT, especially with important events like the wedding.

FOCUS on being professional, kind, courteous & welcoming towards your clients. They count on you to make them look beautiful. Find a way to make them have confidence & faith in you :-)

Nov 12, 2012

Kimberly H.

I agree with doing a trial with her and I also would consider charging by time maybe in 15 min increments? Then you can make the extra time and effort worth your while financially without having to flat out say u r charging her for redoing anything. 

Nov 13, 2012

Katrina M.

Two words on this one: client consultation. Listen, if you need to talk to her sixteen times before that day to really make sure you got what she wants down, do it! The reason I say this is because people like that tend to talk shit either way. Like you do it, they hate it, you start over, they're annoyed that you didn't get it right the first time. You're BFF for this client is going to be pictures for her to look at to reference. I know you don't do trials on people other than brides which is understandable and I don't think you should have to compromise with that. But talk to her as much as you can about it. Ask her to also try to find a picture that looks like something she would like. Make sure you have ample time to work with her before the event so as to not make her late for whatever else she has planned.

As far as the customer service bit, I agree customer service is number one. However, I've worked in customer service since I was fourteen and I do know that people will try to bully you into what they think you need to do. YOU are the professional, trust that instinct. If she could do it herself, she wouldn't be paying you. Stand your ground and explain yourself if she gets an attitude, keeping it kind of course. You should not have to change the way you do business for one person with an attitude problem. So cover your ass, make sure you understand what she wants, do the best you can. If she hates it and you think you did what she asked, I sure as hell would charge her extra. That's more of your product, your time, and your work.

But overall be confident in your skills as a makeup artist and your business. You probably won't even run into her attitude because you'll do great! Good luck!

Nov 13, 2012

Arianna S.

As far as doing a consultation, I think to smart to go ahead with that. Depending on your prices, I would have her pay for a trial and if she decides to hire you, deduct the amount of the trial from the day

Nov 14, 2012

Jessica S.

Don't put up with people being rude though.

Nov 20, 2012

Sonja B.

update: had the makeup job today, and she was very pleased with the result. \I had my book with me, and she showed me what she wanted, and that's what i did!

Nov 20, 2012

Raysa S.

with a difficult client a trial before the big event is a MUST! you want to keep that client happy because if yu dont she will spread the word around that you dont do a good job. dont charge her more just for being a difficult client. you can charge her atleast half more for a trial or just do one eye if she doesnt want to pay for a trial. make her bring pictures of what she would like and explain to her that we all have diffrent eye shapes and your going to get as close as possible to the look she wants