Lessons Freelance Writers can Learn from a Bad Client
After some time in the business of offering freelance writing services you will no doubt encounter several types of undesirable client. There are those who try to avoid paying when the work is delivered, others who find every imaginable fault and demand revisions and still others who are maddeningly vague and worse disappear or are otherwise unavailable for questions until the deadline has arrived. There are lessons to be learnt from them all.
Take a look at the following to see what freelance writers can pick up from dealing with bad clients.
How to Deal With Difficult People
Bad clients are a lesson in how to deal with difficult people. They can sometimes seem like they were sent expressly for that purpose, but it is important to look at every experience as an opportunity to take away something positive. Some clients test your mettle as a person and if taken in the right spirit this can really make you grow stronger.
How Not to Treat Others
Bad clients illuminate what not to do to others. Sometimes the best way to learn is by experiencing the opposite effect, so exposure to difficult individuals can help to highlight the qualities you do not want to emulate or more importantly the traits you don’t necessarily want to deal with again.
How to Work Harder to Please
When you are faced with a bad client you are forced to work harder to please. This can only be a good thing because it means that your general level of service may be lifted because of that negative encounter.
How Important Communication Can Be
Bad clients can really highlight how important it is to effectively communicate project expectations and deliveries for both parties. Questions should be asked upfront and all terms and conditions should be made clear at the beginning to avoid unpleasant surprises at the end. It also helps to find out who you should direct your questions to in the event that you have a query mid-project and clear up that person’s availability beforehand.
How to Stand Up for Yourself
Finally, bad freelance clients help you to stand up for yourself. It can be hard to stick to your guns because you may think that it is your duty to keep the client happy. However, some people can be next to impossible to please and in these instances it is perfectly acceptable to go back to your agreement before taking on the job. Use your correspondence as evidence of what you were expected to deliver and hold firm in your demands.
You may wish that you never have to deal with another bad client but there is no way of guaranteeing you’ll only have pleasant experiences. The only thing you can do is change your response to these bad clients and turn dealing with them into a lesson for good.
