It’s a side of business no one wants to talk about.
But the truth is, at some point during your business career you will experience a relationship breakdown with a client.
It is probably one of the hardest things to deal with whether you’re a freelancer or a small business owner. Apart from the fact it means you’re not going to be paid (at least in full), it also hurts because you always want to do your best for your customers and it can come as a slap in the face when, even though you have, they (or you) decide to walk away.
Why things go wrong
Before I go on, this is written from a freelancer’s point of view (because that’s what I am). Although most of the scenarios are written from a copywriter’s perspective (again, because that’s what I am), they can relate to any service provider (they are also fiction, but good illustrations of why things can go pear shaped).
1. Bad brief
In an ideal world, you would go out and meet every new client. During this meeting you will be able to suss them out and come away with a detailed brief.
Of course, it’s not an ideal world and that can’t always happen.
Getting as much detail as possible from a client is essential, but also not always that easy. Some clients believe that as you are a copywriter they can just say ‘I want 3 web pages written’ and it will magically appear.
