How to Deal with a Client that Knows NOTHING About DJI Drones and Transform Their Vision into Reality

Hello fellow pilots! I hope you are doing great! As maybe I have told you before, I do commercial work, photography and video for BMW, Porsche and Mini Cooper. In a lot of cases, I encounter myself with marketing managers and social media managers that ask: “Did you bring your DJI drone with you?”

“Yes, I brought it.”

This DJI Big Boy?

And in just that exact second is when I am really repentant of bringing my drone. It’s like mentioning you play guitar at a party and suddenly everyone expects you to perform “Wonderwall” while standing on your head.

Today, we were doing some vertical video for BMW Motorrad, the motorbike brand of BMW. We were recording in their repair shops. Everything was going perfect, took some pictures, recording some specific actions like taking out the brake fluid, adding new oil to the motor, you know, the usual. When my favorite manager arrived.

And asked the fantastic question…

“Did you bring your drone with you? I have some ideas.”

No. NO. Nope. NoPe. NOPE.

Let me tell you how this works: you tell me that you want drone shots. I calculate the safest and prettiest shoot, check any risks, mitigate them and make the flight. I am an expert, and you are not. End of the story, it’s my way or the highway, Capisce?

All that conversation happened inside my head in about half a second. My face remained perfectly calm, like a duck on water – serene on the surface while my feet were paddling furiously underneath.

Smile and wave

But, of course, if I said something like that, the sweet, sweet dollars that I charge for doing photos and videos for them were at risk of disappearing… so the best I can do is smile and wave. Smile and wave, boys, smile and wave.

In this moment is when he told me: “Ok, so you are going to fly your drone from here, then you are going to enter through that window, do a flip, and fly at high speed inside the repair shop, pass under one bike, two bikes, three bikes and end up really close to one of the technicians using the scanner in one of the damaged bikes.”

I was looking at him thinking, “Did you just describe a scene from ‘Mission Impossible: Drone Protocol’?” But what I actually said was, “I can fly from point A to point B and make it look pretty.”

And no, I cannot fly from the outside if it’s raining… the drones that fly under rain start at $19,000… and even then, they don’t come with tiny windshield wipers (although that would be adorable).

The WHYs and the RISKs

So, my first tip to help you putting their feet on the ground is to explain WHY you cannot do that and second, how risky (and dangerous for this business could be) will be.

It’s not everyday that you have to fly around expensive bikes or brand new zero miles luxury cars… and you want to keep doing it! Creating a miniature hurricane inside a BMW showroom is generally frowned upon by management, even if it would make for an exciting Instagram story.

“The drone whisperer”

This isn’t the first time I’ve encountered the “drone whisperer” client. There was this one time at a Porsche launch when the marketing director wanted me to fly the drone through the open sunroof of a moving 911 Carrera, circle inside the car, and exit through the driver’s window. I had to politely explain that my drone wasn’t quite as small as a hummingbird, nor was it trained in the art of spatial contortion.

What I’ve learned over years of professional drone work is that client education is just as important as your technical skills. Most people’s understanding of drone capabilities comes from Hollywood movies or those viral videos where professional FPV pilots with custom-built drones pull off incredible stunts after hundreds of practice runs.

Make them eat the drone reality sandwich

The secret to success? I’ve developed what I call the “drone reality sandwich” technique. First layer: enthusiastic agreement – “That’s a creative idea!” Middle layer: the reality check – “Here’s what’s physically possible and legally permitted.” Final layer: the exciting alternative – “But what if we did THIS instead? It’ll look even cooler!”

Another approach that works wonders is showing them pre-visualizations or similar shots you’ve done before. Nothing speaks louder than seeing something tangible. I keep a folder on my tablet labeled “Drone Reality Check” with videos demonstrating what’s actually achievable. It’s saved me countless hours of explaining why my drone can’t perform like the Millennium Falcon.

Remember that most clients aren’t trying to make your life difficult – they just don’t understand the limitations. They’re thinking about the end result, not the process to get there. Your job is to be the bridge between their creative vision and physical reality.

After doing my flight at BMW Motorrad – a simple but elegant sweep around the repair bay showcasing the technicians at work from a perspective impossible to achieve without a drone – they loved it so much that they didn’t want another take. The marketing manager even admitted, “This is actually better than what I had in mind.” Victory!

Look at the final shot: short and beautiful!

The truth is, the best drone operators aren’t just pilots – they’re diplomats, educators, and creative problem-solvers who can transform “I want the impossible” into “I got exactly what I needed.”

Now you tell me: what has been the worst situation in which a customer has asked you to fly? Was it indoors through a labyrinth of crystal chandeliers? Perhaps over an active volcano to get “just a quick shot of the lava”? Or maybe they wanted you to follow their dog on a beach run without considering how most dogs react to buzzing flying objects? Let me know in the comment section.

And remember fellow pilots, when a client starts a sentence with “Can’t you just…” take a deep breath and prepare your drone reality sandwich!