So Ad Age recently had a provocative little column recently title “Bad Client Behavior Is on the Rise.” It’s a short read and a good one. It also goes hand-in-hand with this great video that a colleague sent to me today called “The Vendor/Client Relationship…In Real World Situations.”

Going through the comments on the first link, I think there are some great points raised among the “thank-you-for-saying-what-we’ve-all-been-thinking-and-giving-me-a-link-to-pass-on-to-my-client-in-order-to-illustrate-my-angst-in-an-inappropriately-passive-aggressive-manner.”

So, now you have gotten a taste of your own medicine. . .

Just replace the word “Agency” for “Production or Post Production Company” and you will quickly see that the same tactics have been used by Agencies to manipulate Production for years.

You want to be treated with respect? Do unto others.

Yikes. But a great point. (And while commenter gets biblical in the end, I think perhaps a better passage would have been Matthew 18:21-35. But whatevs.)

Another good comment? Try this one:

At the end of the day a bad client is only reflective of a bad agency. The truth is that we teach people how to treat us. The more spec work we do for free, the more they expect. The more we cut our prices and commissions, the more they expect.

I think the problem is that, as a segment, until we stop commoditizing ourselves, demonstrate real value and begin respecting ourselves as the professionals we are – clients never will.

Too true…too true.