Good old boy joking - awkward.

I was talking to a client over the phone and he said - How would it look with the seating along the other wall?" (restaurant).

I said - I'll do two versions. He replied, "Shoot - I'd be happy to do one virgin! Har, har, har."

Having a teenage daughter I felt awkward - like I did not want to participate.

I'm Chicano so he'll ask me if washing his car and mowing his lawn is included in the price - har, har har!. He's a great, generous client - it's just this one aspect of his personality that's troublesome.

Although he might have something there: "Quality Renderings! AND a free car wash!"

How do you handle off-color commentary and joking? Just grin and bear it?

oofff. If its in person, I usually just smile and keep the conversation moving. On the phone, a brief "ha", and quickly back on the subject. Cant say I've run into this often. Seems to happen more with older clients. (By older I mean, In age)

Yeah, but in a way I wish I could let him know how's he's antagonizing people in general.

Oh well, you're not going to change somebody................

Maybe an anonymous email sent from the library.

''What you should do: Deftly end the story, and move the conversation on.

What you want to do: Spontaneously add more exciting and completely fictional elements to the story until someone laughs. (This will not happen.)''

from:

http://www.buzzfeed.com/lukebailey/awkward-social-situations-should-vs-want

There's no point in confronting him about it all you'll do is damage your relationship and maybe loose him as a client.

I agree with Devin. Just keep it to yourself. You can't change these things in people, at least with a client relationship level between two people. If you bring up the subject, all you will do is release a bull in a china shop.

My wife deals with sales reps on the medical side and she has quite a few stories of some of the creepers she deals with. Some people just have a different social filter between their brain and their mouth.

In this circumstance, I'd say loosen up. That doesn't mean: Go with the flow, however. Rather than taking the stance of "oh this guy is a creep" perhaps you should consider the possibility that they mean no harm. You can get into detail about generational differentiation and whatnot, but it's really not worth it. Just take a breath and relax, you and your family are not in danger.

Professionally speaking, keep things on track and don't take anything personally.

Perhaps, almost all of weird people, including myself, ofcourse, have had or still have some big issues in their lifes.

So, do not take it personally so much.

Egz: If someone always talks about sex, you can be shore, that he has not seen real woman for long time! And similar to that.

Keep working with him...

It's more annoying rather than profoundly disturbing but the racial stuff is directly affecting people's reality.

I grew up in a quaint small border town in Arizona/Mexico and there was a flimsy 10 foot chain link separation fence.

Now there are 20 foot high steel barriers as far as you can see beyond the city limits on both sides that make it look like a war zone; much like the Israeli barriers. All of this because of mass hysteria generated stereotypes.

Laughing and passively going along with racial humor DOES have tangible consequences.