Just thought I should probably nail down what I meant by a tweet earlier today, which was "Nothing seems to get results like being the kind of client someone wants to work with." In my vocabulary, at least, there's a distinction between "customer" and "client." Sure, they can overlap, particularly in the early stages of a client-vendor relationship. But, overall, the difference hinges on the longer-term relationship.
We like to think that the customer is always right, despite more than ample evidence to the contrary. In practice, everything hinges on the level of pain your displeasure can cause the organization. In smaller organizations, that level of pain will be more keenly felt, because those on the front lines (generally) have more pull. For organizations that peddle services, rather than tangible products, that's typically even more true. But at Wal-Mart? McDonalds? Not so much. And just try telling the prima-donna designers as Apple that sharp edged on a laptop case--in the vicinity of your wrists, even--is a mind-blowingly stooooopid idea. Lemme know how that works out for you.
But that's merely one side of the proverbial coin. The other side is understanding your value as a client. When you keep your ego--and especially the "The customer is always right" sense of entitlement that we Americans are raised believe is our birthright--out of it, some interesting things can happen.
Now, I'm not arguing that anyone should accept a shoddy product or a shoddy service. Not in the least. (Although if you pay for a MacBook with sharp edges and convince yourself that carpal tunnel syndrome is fashionable, you pretty much deserve what you get, IMO.) But when you look at yourself as an equal partner in making things right, it (again, in my opinion/experience) seems to resolve the problem much more quickly than making someone's natural defense mechanisms kick into high gear by screaming at them. Don't get me wrong: Sometimes there's a time and place for a well-timed, tactically-deployed hissy-fit. But it's almost always better aimed at a manager, rather than a flunkie.
The crucial part is explaining what you wanted and contrasting it with what was actually delivered. And that may take a bit of self-reflection. That just the way it works. If you can't take the time and effort to do that part right, you'll ultimately waste more time while the person being screamed at is trying to read your mind. Bad plan. Why? Because it's counter-productive in both the short- and long-terms. If you're a long-term client (as opposed to a short-term customer), you want the vendor to anticipate your wants/needs. Not--I repeat NOT--merely work to avoid being screamed at.
