We talk a lot about communication skills at work, how to communicate with your boss or employees. 

What we don’t often mention is how important communication skills at work can be when dealing with an all-consuming client. Anyone who has been in sales or run a business has had one. Difficult clients are easy to spot. They arrive late for meetings, call you at all hours of the day, interrupt other business transactions, and generally make themselves a nuisance. 

They make unreasonable demands and blame you for not meeting their expectations. Yes, these are the people who invade your pleasant thoughts and dreams, causing you constant angst and frustration. 

Yet you put on a happy face and continue to serve them because, after all, they are compensating your efforts, right? 

Wrong! 

The fees you negotiated did not include 24-hour availability or the unanticipated costs you must bear as a result of this client’s constant interference with other business activities. It’s time to have a heart-to-heart with your client, and this is where your communication skills must be at their best.

 Retraining your client by resetting expectations and boundaries may be an option. 

Or you may need to clearly and forcefully restructure the deal. When neither alleviates the problem, terminating your relationship may be your only option. Negotiating with a difficult client is the ultimate example of communication skills at work. 

Master this, and you are on your way to success.