It must be the lawyer in me or growing up listening to political discussions in my house: I love to argue with clients. I’m always astonished when people in our industry complain about argumentative clients. They’d rather have the nodder than discussing issues with a client.
They are frustrated and even hurt when they are questioned by someone who is not only paying for everything but also knows more about the business than they ever will.
Don’t get me wrong: I’m not talking about the sort of client that wants to argue the choice between a period and an exclamation point. I’m talking about the client that challenges your choices, asks questions about your approach, tries to find out why you went on that path and not the gazillion other paths you could have chosen.
When they engage you fully, they show that they care deeply.
They’re not waving the checkbook passive-aggressively to show you who the boss is. They don’t try to claim to be better in communication planning than you. They’re not little Napoleons feeding off the power of “No”. They confront you because they desire the best solution in the world, they want to understand your thinking to communicate better internally the new marketing solutions.
Their goal is to be brilliant, not to be small, arguing about nothing. Next time, you encounter one of these clients, make sure to thank them. They make you work harder, longer and smarter. Ultimately, getting the best out of you. And, that’s why we’re here for, aren’t we?
uwehook 
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