Episode 125 – Setting Clear Boundaries + Handling Difficult Clients

The Brand Strategy Podcast Mental Health Series with Josh Berger Have you ever worked with a client who asked you to do something that is completely out of your original scope of project? Or what about those clients who just can’t seem to grasp the concept of office hours? Been there, done that! It can be challenging to navigate a positive relationship with a client who can’t seem to stay within your boundaries, but it’s so important to navigate these types of situations with integrity and purpose. Today’s conversation we’re diving back into the Mental Health Series with professional licensed counselor and my big brother, Josh Berger. The last few episodes of this series we talked a lot about fear of failure and fear of success, defining your identity + sense of balance, and how to navigate rejection and diffuse negative self-talk as an entrepreneur. And today we’re diving into setting clear clear boundaries and handling difficult clients. This subject is one that I believe is SO important. So let’s dive right on in! SETTING CLEAR BOUNDARIES One of the first places to start when working with difficult (or not so ideal clients) is to identify the reason you’re experiencing the level of stress you are with this relationship. Mapping out the different types of talent and people we encounter and work with can help us understand why a relationship is causing us stress. In this episode, Josh explains the three types of clients we most often face and why their personal traits and past can impact the relationship they have with us. Then we need to identify what a good job well done looks like for the job we are hired to do. Set perfectionism aside and look at how you can serve this project or person well. From there, set boundaries based on what a good job well done looks like. There are two types of boundaries to be aware of: 1) external boundaries and, 2) internal boundaries. External boundaries are those the client is aware of. For example, at the beginning of your work together, you let your client know your typical email response time is between 24-36 hours.  That’s a range you’ve identified as a job well done so that’s an external boundary you’ve set. Internal boundaries are what Josh likes to call “the thoughts”. These are the boundaries that you think about when you think of this client. A sign of an unhealthy relationship is when you think, worry, or are concerned about one client more often than the others. Set aside specific time to focus on just that client in order to set your internal boundary. After that time, be disciplined about not running yourself ragged and worrying.  Tune in using the media player above for a few internal exercises from Josh to not let difficult clients dictate your day to day.