What To Do When You Disagree With A Client

by Rebecca BatistoJan 21, 2019Working With Difficult Freelance Clients

When you get hired as a freelancer, you feel proud! Somebody is actually paying you for the skill you believe you have. But, at some point, it’s inevitable that you’ll be asked to work on something that you think is a waste of time or goes against your beliefs. Today, we’re discussing: What should you do when you disagree with a client?

How Much Sh** Should A Freelancer Take?

Everyone works for someone. And there are tasks we all have to handle that we don’t like. In my first corporate job I was hired as a content writer but soon realized I also had to pack and ship content after writing it. Days on end would pass with me wearing heels to work only to spend mindless days packing, wrapping, and shipping. When you reach the point of frustration in your corporate job, you have to decide whether to suck it up and keep your eyes on your paycheck, or whether to quit. But, what about freelancers? Finding jobs as a freelancer isn’t easy and finding great clients is even harder. So, what do you do when you disagree with a client, or a client pushes you too far? How do you know when to suck it up, when to renegotiate, and when to walk away?

Since starting Abask Marketing, I have worked for several bad clients: people that didn’t pay on time, people that didn’t pay at all, and people that would be unresponsive one day and up in my grill the next. But, most of my clients have been nice and encouraging, the kind of people that I enjoy working with. Now, I’m an obliger and I don’t want to disappoint anyone (even people who don’t pay!) but sometimes I disagree with a client and have to argue my point of view. And sometimes, I am still shot down and I have to decide whether to suck it up or walk away. This following chart is how I decide what to do when the going gets tough.