About two years ago, I landed what I would consider an ideal client: A burgeoning tech startup that not only sold a service I believed in, but exhibited a culture and image that I could relate to. (And yes, they had the budget to pay my rates.)
I remember the giddy feeling I got when I saw their response to my LOI. The founder liked what I had done so far and wanted to jump on a quick call to talk about how we could work together.
So I got on the phone the next day and we talked about his company’s content needs. He then agreed to hire me to revise their website’s “Careers” page and we would move on to bigger projects if they liked my work.
So we go about the usual process. I asked him all the necessary questions, then proceeded to write content for the page. I then sent him my first draft later that week.
The founder responded a couple of days later with a quick “Great, thanks!” and promptly paid my invoice.
I was psyched (at first, anyway) because I thought that I really nailed it on the first try, and that would be just one of many projects that we would be working on together.
I was wrong.
Because after that email, I never heard from him again. I followed up a few times, but didn’t get a single response.
And then a few weeks later, I swung by their Careers page and saw that they did update the page’s content… only they didn’t use a single word that I wrote.
Suffice it to say, I was pretty disappointed. But I did pick up a number of lessons from the experience.
Here are a few takeaways:
1. Resist the urge to feel butt hurt or blame yourself
Oftentimes when people get rejected, their first instinct is to blame themselves. Don’t fall into this trap. Instead, deal with the situation with a business mindset and don’t take things personally.
Just because a client isn’t a fan of your work, it doesn’t always mean that there’s anything wrong with it (or with you, for that matter). It could simply be because your style isn’t a good fit for their business.
Think of it this way: You walk into a clothing store and you try on a T-shirt. The product looked good on the shelf, but it just wasn’t right for your body type, so you put it back. Does this mean that there was something inherently wrong with the shirt or the store? Nope. The product just wasn’t right for you.
The same thing can be said about freelance writers.
Of course, if you’re always getting rejected or if you’re getting the same negative feedback over and over again, then it might be time to evaluate your work and take the steps to improve your skills or processes. (But this is a topic for another post.)
2. Try your best to find out why they didn’t like your work
Do what you can to find out why the client passed on your work. Get in touch and ask what they didn’t like and what you can do to improve.
One thing you need to remember when sending this type of message is to take on a non-confrontational approach. Sure, you might be disappointed, but keep your cool and write an email that conveys you’re open to feedback and you’re willing to learn.
If you’re fortunate, you’ll get some constructive criticism from the client. Other times (like the client in the story above) you won’t hear back. In any case, the important thing is you make an effort to get to the bottom of things and work on improving yourself.
3. Move on as quickly as possible
There’s no use wallowing in the situation or sitting by the computer waiting for the (former) client’s email to hit your inbox. If you found out that you got dumped, move on. Work on your marketing or take on other projects. In other words, keep yourself busy.
4 Always have something in the pipeline
This is where the good ‘ol ABM (Always Be Marketing) tip comes in handy. Don’t let the fact that you have clients now lure you into complacency. Your plate may be full at the moment, that doesn’t mean you should take off your marketing cap completely.
At the very least, you should constantly implement “soft” marketing tactics such as updating your blog, building relationships on social media, or collecting clips.
Weigh in
Have you ever been dumped before? What did you do about it? Tell us about your experience in the comments.