Last Updated on by Michael Brockbank
As a ghostwriter, you will undoubtedly come across clients who you can’t seem to satisfy no matter what you do. While some will belittle your work, others may seem downright forceful. When you have aggressive clients such as this, it’s vastly important to keep your cool. Bare in mind, you’ll never please 100% of the people 100% of the time. As long as you put your best foot forward, that is all that really matters.
How Do You Deal with Aggressive Clients?
When dealing with clients that are overly aggressive, the most important thing to keep is your professionalism. In a sense, it’s all about customer service. It may be difficult at times, but you need to remain firm. Otherwise, you could make a bad situation far worse.
Try to Give Them Want they Want
One of the biggest faults for many ghostwriters, such as myself, is trying to deliver quality with what we see as proper grammar. Unfortunately, not everyone wants us to take that initiative. Even today I see open orders in Textbroker where the clients want keyword saturation – which will perform worse in search engines.
Follow the directs exactly as the client lays them out, even if they seem completely absurd. Even if you know the content is wrong. If the client is paying you to deliver crap, then crap is what you should hand over. Besides, your name isn’t being attached to it as a ghostwriter.
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See the Problem from Their Point of View
Putting yourself in someone’s shoes can be very beneficial in any career you choose. As a ghostwriter, it can help you see the problem and come up with solutions for the client. There is a reason why the person is upset, and it may not take long for you to figure out the problem.
Most clients will want their work done a certain way. It doesn’t matter if it’s grammatically correct or not, they want it created as such. I’ve seen a lot of writers get into small conflicts because of this. However, few of them will actually take the time to see it from the other side. Perhaps there is a reason why the client wants the work done that way.
The language barrier is also another problem that is quite common on the Internet. Many overseas clients hire American’s to create content, because that is who they are marketing to. However, not everything is translated easily. Think about it. It can be very frustrating for someone who isn’t fluent in English to try and explain what he or she wants.
Politely Drop the Client
Given the nature of the Internet, clients who need ghostwriters are all over the place. It’s easy to find a quality person when you market yourself well. As such, you don’t need to put up with aggressive clients. Politely drop the individual and move on to the next; it’s that simple.
There have been times when I had to drop work because of the nature of the hiring person. Even though the pay was good, it was worth it to me to move to the next. I harbor no ill will because I have met some amazing clients over the past few years.
The reason you want to do this politely is because of your reputation. It’s one thing to have a client upset at the quality of work. It can be justified in the eyes of other potential clients. But getting into a bickering match with someone can cause severe repercussions for you on a professional level.
Use the Reporting System
If you use something like Textbroker or Fiverr, don’t be afraid to speak out against aggressive clients. Although these companies do tend to focus on making clients happy, they also realize the importance of their authors. I’ve even had a rejection removed from my record because of the nature of a specific client.
You don’t have to take abuse in any form as a professional. Speaking out only serves to improve your experience as well as help the client realize he or she went too far. Perhaps the next time the person won’t be so forceful when dealing with a ghostwriter.
Always Be Respectful
Being constantly respectful of the client strengthens your reputation. Most people will hold those who offer high levels of respect in much greater regard. Even if the client tries to goad you into a shouting match, you’re the better person for not joining in.
Because of the power of social media, you may find you’ll have to defend yourself at some point. Deal with negative comments in a rational manner. If you get into an argument on sites like Facebook or Twitter, all other potential clients may see that conversation. Always approach social media interactions like you’re being watched by the one perfect client you want to attract.
This is also a great way to get rid of clients who are on the cusp of being trolls. A troll is a person who will say or do anything to try and get a rise out of you. If you’re respectful regardless of the interaction, most of them will tire from trying and will move on.
Remember to Breathe
The intake of oxygen to the lungs helps the body relax. Which is why counselors drive it into your head to take in deep breaths. It can help focus the mind and give you time to analyze the situation more clearly. You might be amazed by how well this actually works in everyday life.
There Are Clients Galore
Always remember that there are plenty of clients online to go around. This is especially true now more than ever. As search engines focus more on quality content as opposed to keywords and other practices in the past, site owners are constantly looking for skilled ghostwriters.
Dealing with aggressive clients can be a sure test of your abilities as a professional. Although none of us wake up in the morning and hope to deal with someone who is adversarial, you need to know that you can handle it. Just understand that some people are next to impossible to deal with. Handle the situation accordingly and all will be fine.
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