Today, we’re focusing on dealing with difficult freelance clients. You’ll know how to recognize a difficult client from the start. We’ll illustrate the problems and possible solutions to redirect your collaboration in a more cooperative, friendly, and rewarding way. And if it’s a lost case – we’ll give you a smooth goodbye message to end your difficult client relationship on good terms.
Bumpy road ahead! How to spot a difficult client
The easiest method of dealing with difficult clients? Avoid difficult clients.
Instead of wasting your time and energy alleviating conflicts, try to recognize client patterns and behaviors that may lead to them. Here are common signs that should draw your attention and make you think twice about your collaboration with the client – it might turn out to be a difficult one:
- Late payments – clients who don’t pay invoices on time and delay the transaction even though they have accepted your payment conditions.
- Unresponsiveness – clients who are hard to reach and don’t get back to you, disrupting your workflow and stressing you out.
- Rude remarks – clients who state their criticism impolitely and use personal insults or aggressive wording.
- Mismatched expectations – clients who demand far more than the project scope described in your initial agreement.
- Indecisiveness – clients who have trouble defining what they need you to do and demand never-ending adjustments as a result.
- Micromanaging – clients who overcontrol what you do to push your mutual project forward, constantly demand updates, and question all your moves.
Don’t hesitate to address any of these problems – many clients are still learning how to collaborate effectively with freelancers. They make mistakes and may need someone to point them out. If their behavior doesn’t change after you ask for it, rethink if it’s worth continuing the project with a troublemaker.
7 methods for dealing with difficult freelance clients
We all constantly hear our full-timer friends groaning about their jobs but not really wanting to quit them. I love what I do, but the company’s conduct is driving me nuts. It’s normal, and it also happens in our freelance landscape.
Just like a “traditional” employee might enjoy their tasks and struggle with an obstinate boss, you might encounter a difficult client who micromanages, has unrealistic deadlines, procrastinates with paying, or doesn’t value your expertise.
But before you ditch a project you honestly like, check our tips on how to deal with difficult freelance clients:
1. Nip misunderstandings in the bud: run a proper client onboarding
A well-defined onboarding is the foundation of a positive working relationship with your client. If you set clear expectations and boundaries at the beginning, you’ll have much less to discuss later. Thanks to the onboarding, you can identify potential red flags, like unclear project goals or unrealistic timelines, and address them upfront.
During the onboarding process, freelancers and their clients should agree upon:
- project deliverables and deadlines,
- communication channels and frequency,
- payment terms,
- required materials and client’s input.
With this direct and highly organized approach, you’ll learn how to deal with difficult freelance clients, but that’s not the only advantage. Through a well-defined onboarding flow, you can showcase your professionalism, attention to detail, and genuine interest in their project. Simply put – you’ll make a good impression on your client.
If you start the onboarding early enough, you might recognize signs of future trouble. If you spot a few red flags in a potential client, it can be better to turn around and look for a new freelance job elsewhere.
Need a comprehensive onboarding to-do list? Here it goes – use our free client onboarding checklist for freelancers to make it smooth and effective.
2. Secure your work and money: use a freelance contract
It’s crucial to protect your freelance business financially and legally. Don’t accept anything on faith when it comes to your work. Instead, sign a well-drafted freelance contract that outlines the scope of work, deadlines, and payment terms, leaving no room for misunderstandings. When you end up dealing with difficult clients, you can always refer to it as you both accepted it.
How can you support your client relationship with a contract but with no operational effort? Sign a secure contract using a platform for freelancers such as Useme. This way, everything will happen online, and you’ll have your payment and work protected by a third party. It’s always easier to deal with difficult clients having a contract.
Check more tips on contracts with foreign clients.
3. Prioritize your boundaries: be assertive
We know that telling you to set clear boundaries might seem too obvious and general, but it well describes the approach we advise you to take: to handle difficult clients, you have to master assertiveness.
If you want to get your challenging clients used to your work conditions, set boundaries and don’t cross them anytime they ask you to:
- work more than the initial project scope you both agreed upon;
- tighten project timelines;
- postpone paying the invoice;
- be responsive outside your working hours;
- make more corrections to the completed work than originally agreed upon.
Of course, you can allow some flexibility if your client’s needs change during the project, but always feel confident communicating that something breaches the terms of this collaboration.
4. Own your value: set reasonable rates
For solopreneurs, understanding how much they can charge for their service is crucial. Calculating freelance rates based on your experience, competence, and industry standards will give you a compelling set of arguments in case of money-related disputes with challenging clients.
To do so, you’ll need to investigate freelance rates in your niche and your competitors’ offer. Market awareness is key because it lets you define what you can expect, what services are in demand, and how much clients pay for them, depending on their quality.
Of course, negotiation is always on the table when a client has a specific budget. However, you should always feel fairly compensated, especially if there’s a potential for a demanding client down the line.
5. Nurture your mental health: don’t focus on difficult clients
Sometimes, we have to learn how to deal with difficult freelance clients because we simply can’t afford to lose them. Then, we have to make our best efforts not to let their unrealistic expectations and unreasonable demands go to our heads.
We won’t give you psychological guidance because no one can replace a professional therapist, but we strongly advise you to foster work-life balance. To do so, you can try these methods:
- Never take your client’s comments personally. Don’t base your self-esteem on one client’s expectations, especially if you do your best to deliver the job and ensure quality.
- Always remember that clients are people so they can make mistakes, so there’s no guarantee that all client relationships will be pleasant and developing. Don’t assume anything, and be aware that a challenging client can always come up.
- Trust in open communication and look for solutions instead of pointing out problems. For example, if your client wants you to work more than initially, ask if they’re willing to extend the deadline and pay more.
- Make sure your job is not the only highlight of your life. Find fulfillment in other spheres, such as family, entertainment, sport, friends, hobbies, etc. When you feel disappointed with one “fulfillment factor,” e.g., a working relationship, you can find consolation in the remaining ones.
Learning the art of work-life balance is hard for most freelancers, so don’t put too much pressure on yourself. Being your own boss but without your own business and embracing flexibility can be both liberating and tricky, especially at the beginning. The more you deal with difficult clients, the more assertive and respectful of your own well-being you become.
6. Enough is enough: terminate your collaboration
We may show you how to deal with difficult freelance clients, but unfortunately, we can’t guarantee our methods will change your experience and solve the problem. If you feel that handling challenging clients is detrimental to your mental health, costs you too much time and energy, and disrupts your focus, consider ending this collaboration.
There are plenty of good clients out there, especially if you freelance with Useme. Here, you can invoice globally and securely with no formalities, so don’t waste your time managing difficult clients endlessly.
Always remain professional and end client relationships politely. To get this out of the way smoothly, use our freelance email template. All you need to do is fill in a few blanks, and your concise, assertive, and tactful goodbye message is ready to be sent. You can use our template not only when managing difficult clients but also when you need to limit your customer base because of a lack of time or interest in the project.
7. Managing difficult clients – the power of empathy
In the end, we encourage you to look at your challenging client from a slightly different perspective.
Instead of wondering how to fight unrealistic expectations, nitpicking, and miscommunication, show your client that you’re genuinely interested in catering to their needs and that you find your contribution to their business rewarding. Remain calm and confident of your skills and experience, showing your clients that you’re the freelancer they can count on.
In other words – how do you deal with a difficult freelance client by understanding their point of view? You shouldn’t treat every disagreement with your client as a red flag. Listen to their concerns and try to find feasible solutions instead of pushing your terms.
Be critical of how you handle difficult clients because sometimes it’s the freelancer’s behavior that leads to clashes. Make sure you:
- are on the same page with your client from the get-go;
- are transparent with your working terms, use open communication, and set clear expectations;
- remain professional and keep your emotions at bay, even when dealing with difficult clients;
- set clear boundaries to avoid misunderstandings.
Successful freelancers overcome challenges – sometimes, this means going the extra mile and dealing with difficult clients along the way. However, always put your mental health first, and don’t let anyone take your freelance independence and self-fulfillment away!
If you want to secure your client relationships right from the start, set up an account on Useme.
