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Here at WildFlower PR & Company, we have quite a number of clients which we manage, and we need them just as much as they need us. If we didn’t have any clients, our work here would be for nothing.
Not all our clients are difficult, but in all honesty, the perfect client is rare, though not extinct. This article focuses on seven personality types of clients who aren’t so perfect because of course, no two persons are the same.

1) The “Word-Breaker”

“Promises are made to be broken”, says the word-breaker. Word-breaking clients remind us just how important it is to write a contract prior to commencing a project. He expects you to honor your end but has no intention of fulfilling his own commitments. He is always right in his own eyes and works hard to keep the upper hand. Be careful when dealing with the word-breaker because when something goes wrong, you will be the target in his firing range, and he will not hesitate to shoot you dead.

2) The “Garbage Collector”

Less is not more—at least, not in the world of the garbage collector. As PR professionals, we always hope that our clients have an idea of what they want, but the garbage collector goes to the extreme; prior to approaching you with his project, he has done plenty of research and assembled all of the ideas that he likes. This kind of person goes to a buffet and puts a little of everything on his plate. He wants to infuse everything possible into his plan. The concept of simplicity is lost on him, even though you repeatedly try to explain it. It’s his way or the highway.

3) The “Clueless Child”

This is the opposite of the garbage collector. Like a child with a short attention span, he is indecisive and ignorant. Working with the clueless child might not seem so bad at the beginning; he is agreeable and relies on your expertise. Problems only arise after your initial agreement on the details of the project—when he starts to change his mind. He has probably thought it through after receiving feedback from friends, co-workers or other experts. He calls you in the middle of the night—whenever inspiration strikes—to tell you that he wants certain changes made.

4) The “Queen of Hearts”

Be prepared to be at the beck and call of the queen of hearts. The queen of hearts wants you to fix all her problems, and she wants it done yesterday. Your loyalty is expected, your respect demanded. She has no concept of weekends, public holidays or time itself. If she calls you in the middle of the night, be glad! She wants you to be a strategist, developer, organizer, networker, anti-virus expert, plumber and even nanny. Her wish is your command so just learn to say “Yes, your majesty.”

5) The “Smart Aleck”

The smart Aleck thinks he knows it all. In fact, he has probably worked with a few other experts in the past and so he feels compelled to interfere because he wants his “expert views” to be taken into consideration. The truth is: the smart aleck knows very little about PR or PR Strategy but he insists that his idea is better than yours. He tells you everything without really saying anything. He has particular ideas about what he wants but never communicates them explicitly. “It’s so easy even a monkey could do it,” he claims.

6) The “Nitpicker”

“Hold it right there! I’ve got a bone to pick with you,” says the nitpicker. There is always something wrong with what you’ve done: the plan is not what he envisioned, the content is not engaging enough, the images are not as exciting as he expected. The nitpicker scrutinizes your work and never fails to find fault with it. One could call him a perfectionist, but the truth is he’s just trying to get his money’s worth by ensuring that you work doubly hard for the money that you will wrench from his cold unwilling hands.

7) The “Scrooge”

The scrooge wants everything for nothing. He’s the poster child for “awoof dey run belle”. He loves goodwill so much, so expect to battle for months with the scrooge over final payment for the project. He expects you to fix everything for him even after the deal is done but is not afraid to renege on your fees, and he insists on further discounts, despite your unwillingness. Be happy as soon as you eventually get paid and run as fast as you can from him…though this doesn’t always mean the war is over lol. The scrooge will find you anytime he likes.

In summary, every client has a different level of knowledge and expertise. They also have different expectations. Most of our clients are great to work with and we have a few real gems among them. The truth is this: If you want your industry to be fair, you have to play fair and treat people fairly.

So let’s say you woke up on the morning of January 1st, 2017 with the most brilliant idea the world has ever known. You think about it and you decide to write it down. You turn it over and over in your mind and finally come to a conclusion that it needs to be shared with the world. But! There’s a “BUT”. As much as your idea is most likely the next big thing, deep down your mathematical senses and guts won’t let it go scott free without getting a little “reward or compensation” in return. You want to get paid for your ideas, so you begin to imagine who on this planet would be the highest bidder for your amazing idea, but you’re stuck.

Not to worry, this article will teach you all the tricks you need to learn in order to get paid for your ideas in 2017. Who knows, you could be well on your way to becoming the next Mark Zuckerberg or million-dollar baby.

So, how can you get paid for your ideas? Well, the concept is simple: Find companies, individuals or organizations who will be willing to pay for your ideas, so long as they can bet that your ideas will bring them maximum profit, you both would be smiling to the bank at the end of the day.

#RULE 1: Companies searching for new ideas – There are companies out there willing to listen to anyone for input, and that will pay for ideas. However, there are probably hundreds or even thousands of companies online that officially say they will pay you for your ideas, in CASH. A quick search on Google will help you to discover more of these great opportunities. Some companies will tell you directly that they are searching for new ideas, and that if share your ideas with them, then they will pay you if they decide to use your idea. Only be ready to go all out with your presentation, strategy, artwork, case studies and any other inputs necessary to build confidence in the minds of your buyers.

#RULE 2: Patent your Idea – First of, you need to determine if your idea is a general idea or a more specific (niche) idea. If it’s a niche idea, it’s easier to customize. A great way to search for patents is to use Google Patent Search at google.com/patents. Here you’ll find more than 7 million patents. As defined by Wikipedia, a patent is a set of exclusive rights granted by a state to an inventor or his assignee for a fixed period of time in exchange for a disclosure of an invention. Once you have ascertained that your idea really is unique and that there is no patent identical to your idea then go ahead. 

Yes, there’s always a BUT.

You need to understand that getting a patent will cost you some money, so you might want to consider selling the idea itself instead of receiving a patent. In some cases this would obviously be a mistake, in other cases this may be the easiest and fastest way to make some quick money. What you could do is “lay open” your idea with a trusted person or company in exchange for a reward. Naturally, make sure you don’t spill the beans before you know for sure that you get your reward.

#RULE 3: Start your own Start-Up Company!

So what if you have a really great idea, but you don’t want to sell it or share it with others. Then there’s only one option: Use your idea to start a business.

If you believe in your own idea, then use it to generate a solid income for yourself. However, you should note that most businesses fail in their first 3-5 years. If you want to keep your business alive, then you need to learn what you need to learn and apply your knowledge.

A great idea will never make you rich. It’s what you decide to do with that idea that could make you a fortune.

It’s not too late to start. Get paid for your ideas today!

WIN!

Finally February is here! 💃 in case you’re looking for new ways to make your brand stand out, these PR trends will help you boost your PR activities throughout the rest of the year:

1)Executive Thought Leadership: Thought leadership, when done well and when the executive has something to say that isn’t the same as everyone else, works wonders. If your clients can combine their PR activities with providing relevant information on trending topics, their thought leadership will boom in 2017!

2)Influencer Marketing: According to a Nielsen survey, 92 percent of consumers trust recommendations from individuals they may or may not personally know if such individual is perceived as a “social media star” in the industry. So if you don’t already have a strong influencer marketing program set for 2017, you’ll be way behind. 

3)Contributor Marketing: The more great content you have, the more followers and readers you get and consequently, the more other networks will want to work with you or use your content in order to get more traffic for themselves as well. Contributors always have something new and fresh to say. So if you aren’t a contributor or thought leader in any way, it’s best you find one to latch on to. 

All the above tips will help you secure your spot as a leading PR Agency/Firm in no time!