Art directors are driving me crazy!!!

[ksmattfish]

This is the way 75% of the art directors I'm dealing with do things:

First they call, get my info, tell me about the project, and so on. They always impart a sense of urgency, like it needs to be done yesterday if possible. I tell them I'm ready. Then I don't hear from them for two weeks. When they finally do call, now there's an even bigger time crunch. So I bust my butt, changing schedules (not just mine, my wife often has to alter her job schedule so she can watch our daughter), getting the job done right, get them the photos either via email or overnight shipping, and most importantly I communicate with them promptly, responding as soon as possible to all calls and emails.

But once they get the pics, it's like they dropped off the planet. My calls and emails (about billing of course) are not returned until I pester them for weeks. I give commercial clients 30 days to pay after submittng an invoice, so it's not like I want the money right now. But I need info like job numbers, address of the billing dept, etc... to submit that invoice! Grrrrrr...

It really annoys me that I make an effort to be professional, and they can't spare a minute to email me the gosh darn job number (without which I cannot get paid).

 

[terri]

You have my sympathy.

What you're learning is how quickly people's priorities change once they get what they want from you. Suddenly you're on the back burner. It's highly annoying.

You'll have to turn yourself into a bit of a hardass. Before you even commit to the job, one of your initial questions needs to be about where, and to whose attention, your invoices are to be submitted. You need to protect your interests WHILE you are still enjoying being pursued - that golden period when obtaining your services is still the top priority for these people. They'll give you anything you want, and though you still might have to wait to get paid from that invoice, you'll be able to submit it without feeling that subtle power shift that puts you on the back burner.

 

[Alison]

I think Terri's got a great idea, if you can obtain the info BEFORE you perform the services that should speed up your payment I agree that it's so frustrating to do the creative work and fight to be paid.