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How to Rebuild Your Confidence After a Bad Client Experience

Most of us have had one or two clients who have made us question our capabilities. It's just not something people tend to shout about. Who wants to admit that not every client thinks you are brilliant?

I started my business in 2014, and I've worked with hundreds of clients over the years. Most of them have been good to work with, some of them have been great to work with, but the odd few have been a nightmare.

I haven't really had any problems since I moved away from done-for-you copywriting services in 2019, but before that point, I did have some bad experiences.

In fact, one of my first clients, way back in 2014, initially refused to pay me.

I'd never met him - he'd been referred to me through another client I was working with. He was the manager of a big security firm and wanted copy for a brochure.

I quoted £60 for around 8 pages. And, yes, I am well aware of how ridiculously low that price is, but back then, I was a newbie copywriter with barely any experience, and I had no idea how to price my services.

Anyway, I completed the project and sent the invoice.

Nothing.

I called and emailed a few times. I was always told payment would be made tomorrow or later this week.

After chasing the payment for almost four months (crazy, right?), the guy replied to one of my emails saying, "I didn't think what you sent was very good."

Ouch.

I can't say I wasn't a little bit upset by that response. I wanted every client to love my work.

But I stayed calm and emailed back. I told him I was sorry he felt that way and that if he wasn't happy with the copy, I would not expect payment, but if he did decide to use the copy, the invoice would stand.

He paid me the next day.

Strange right? Doesn't pay for three months, even though I've been chasing and chasing. Then pay immediately after I give him an out.

I have no idea whether he used the copy or not. Honestly, I don't really care. He messed me around for months for no good reason. If he'd told me straight away he wasn't happy with the copy, I'd have amended it - I always offered amendments as part of my copywriting service.

But he didn't raise any issues. He didn't say he wasn't happy. He just kept delaying payment of a measly £60. It's not like it was a huge amount - a drop in the ocean to a company that size.

I have no idea why he acted the way he did. Maybe he was expecting an entire brochure design, not just the words. Maybe he could tell I was new to business and thought he could get a freebie if he just held out long enough. Who knows?

But it wasn't really the client experience I'd dreamt of when I started my business.

I could have let it knock my confidence. I could have taken his words to heart and decided I wasn't good enough to be a copywriter, that my work wasn't worth paying for.

But I didn't.

Instead, I focused on the clients who loved my work. And I kept going.

How to move forward

I'm not the only freelancer who has had a bad client experience or poor feedback. Most of us have had one or two clients who have treated us badly or made us doubt our capabilities. It's just not something people tend to shout about. Who wants to admit that not every client thinks you are brilliant?

But when we have those experiences, it's important not to get hung up on them.

Feeling disappointed is a good thing - it means you care. But don't let it undermine your confidence. Don't let one negative experience overshadow all the positive ones. Instead, deal with it, learn from it, and move on from it.

Don't respond immediately

Stay calm and don't react while emotions are raw, as you could make things worse. Take a break from work and give yourself space to acknowledge your initial emotions. It's ok to feel angry, disappointed, frustrated, hurt, shocked, sad, embarrassed - it means you care about your business. So give yourself a moment to feel those feelings before you respond.

Be objective

Once you've had a chance to process your feelings, be objective. Does the client have a valid point, or are they being unreasonable? Did you ignore obvious red flags when negotiating the terms? Did you agree to a project you should probably have said no to? Sometimes we have to take a little bit of responsibility for things not working out, but that doesn't mean we have to beat ourselves up about it.

Try to rectify the situation where appropriate

Some situations can be salvaged. If there is a way to fix things, try. If there isn't, you might have to cut your losses and walk away. In my example, I offered to forfeit payment if he didn't use the copy. It's not something I would do now, but it felt like the right move for me back then. Forfeiting payment, offering discounts, or issuing refunds isn't always the right move, but sometimes it's better to walk away than continuing to waste energy on something.

Accept not every client relationship will work out the way you want

As I said above, most freelancers have the odd bad experience in their career. Sometimes you make a mistake - that's ok, nobody is perfect. Sometimes you just end up with a shitty client - unfortunately, they are out there. Accept that not every client relationship will last, and they won't all be positive.

Learn from the experience

Whether you are partly to blame or the client is completely out of order, there's always something to learn. How can you make sure nothing similar happens in the future? How can you ensure you don't end up with more clients like that one? How could you have handled the whole experience more effectively? What should you look out for going forward so you don't end up in that situation again?

Rebuild your confidence

It's hard not to take a bad experience personally, but one bad experience doesn't define you. Remind yourself of all the positive experiences you've had. Look back through happy client feedback. Remind yourself of everything you have achieved.

Get help if you need it

You shouldn't let the odd difficult client put you off freelancing. But if you are finding yourself getting more than your fair share of bad clients, it might be time to review your marketing and sales process. You could be attracting the wrong-fit clients. Or you might not be making it clear exactly what you can deliver. Or your positioning might not be quite right.

If you'd like help figuring out where the gaps are (and how to fix them), book 90 minutes with me and we'll figure it out together