How to work with a difficult client?
There was this one time when I had to write some copy for a very demanding client. I knew it won’t be easy.
I read the brief several times and kept going back to it as I worked on the assignment. Nothing was right.
I tried different styles of copy, trying to find the right approach. There were several versions and lots of feedback. Still, I couldn’t get it to work.
In the end, the client got frustrated and went with something they wrote themselves.
Ouch.
It wasn’t a great feeling, knowing I’ve let the client down. Haven’t really expected to hear from them again.
Fast-forward two months, and they’ve sent me another assignment.
The funniest part? It went smoothly, with only minor corrections.
I still get some work from them now and then.
How to approach negative feedback?
Last time, I wrote that the key to being a good copywriter is empathy. You need to be able to relate to your client just as much as to your end-user.
Even so, sometimes it’s just not possible to get on the same page. No matter what you do, the client sees it as off-brief, is unhappy with your work, and criticises it in multiple ways.
How you proceed really depends on you and your own boundaries.
If a client was nothing but rude and abusive, I likely would have walked away.
But they were simply unhappy with my work. In business, it happens. I was the subcontractor, and I wasn’t delivering to their expectations.
I could have taken it personally - after all, my creativity and writing skills were under fire.
But that really was not what mattered to the client. They trusted me with solving their problem, and I didn’t have the answer they were looking for. Somehow we just couldn’t get on the same page.
It’s important to know that stuff like this happens. Just like in life, not everyone is always on the same wavelength. It goes with all of us being different. Or, you know, human.
That’s why I took the feedback, went back to the brief, and tried again. And again. And again.
In the end, I failed.
It hurt my pride a bit. I felt like I tried my best, and it wasn’t enough. Maybe I wasn’t a good writer after all?
But then came other jobs, and I had to shake it off, so I could deliver on those. I figured it’s just like in life - you can’t win every time, but you won’t win at all if you give up.
What did I learn from difficult assignments?
The biggest surprise after this event was that I got other assignments from this client later.
Even if I did give up on my skills, they didn’t. Something about me meant they trusted me to deliver on something else. And guess what - I did. That one failure taught me a lot.
It was my first big lesson in empathy.
My biggest mistake was allowing my pride to get in my way. You know how it is - I wanted to do something clever.
Sometimes, the client doesn’t want clever. They just want shit done.
Another important lesson? Creativity.
It may seem counter-intuitive but it’s true. Few things are as effective at waking up your creativity than an unhappy client.
It’s easy to get drunk on your own genius, thinking you know it all, and you know it best. It’s even easier to get defensive when someone bursts that bubble for you, telling you that “actually, this is rubbish”.
At my current job, we have a saying (one of many): “feedback is a gift”. And it really is.
Don’t get defensive when you get constructive criticism. Take it as free advice on becoming better at what you do.
Here’s the third lesson. Disagreement is the mother of all invention.
If you want to get out of a creative rut, the best thing is to move away from what you’ve been doing, and go in an entirely different direction.
This is why I appreciate “difficult” clients and “tough” assignments. Because they’re rarely “difficult” and “tough”.
They’re the ones that help me grow creatively and develop my critical thinking skills.
They’re the ones that make me stop and think: “Is this really the best I can do?”
Beware of toxicity
There is one important thing to note here. There is a difference between constructive feedback and straight up bullying.
You’re under no obligation to put up with someone who treats you like dirt.
I’ve been lucky enough to not have to deal with extreme cases. That’s why I have been able to take on the negative comments I got and turn them to my advantage.
Still, this is not always the case, even in a professional environment. Some people will abuse their power and privilege to try and make you feel bad about yourself.
My advice? RUN. If you can’t do it right away, try to get some support to get out of this situation as fast as you can.
Criticising your work because it’s not up to par is one thing. Criticising you because someone feels drunk on power, is another thing entirely. And there’s no room for this in a professional setting.
Let’s not settle for this. Being a provider does not mean being unworthy of respect.
Phew, that got a little heavy. But there you have it.
Constructive feedback helps you grow. Toxic feedback does the opposite.
Learn to recognise the difference. Then, working with “difficult” clients will be much easier. It will help you hone your craft, or strengthen your assertiveness. Either way, you win.
Good luck.
Photo by Ming Jun Tan on Unsplash
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