How to Avoid Negative Feedback from a “Dream” Client

I recently dealt with something that every business owner will have to experience at some point during their career. I received extremely negative feedback from a “dream” client, and it completely floored me.

It wasn’t fun, it wasn’t pretty… actually, it was downright awful. 

Heart-dropping-out-of-your-mouth kinda awful. I contemplated burning all my copywriting and marketing books and saying buh-bye to the life I’ve been working so hard to build. I wanted to disappear into nothingness, change my name, run far, far away.

Ok, ok. I’m getting a tad dramatic. But you get the point. It sucked. Big time.

After the pillows on my bed had been sufficiently waterlogged, I started to collect myself. I stepped out of my immediate emotional reaction and began to look at the situation from an objective point of view. I wanted to understand where exactly I had gone wrong.

How did this happen? Why did I mess up so spectacularly?

Alignment is everything

I went inward and checked myself. How had I truly been feeling while working on this project? Was I aligned to the work? Did I feel inspired?

When I took on this client, I was thrilled. They had been in touch with me just before COVID came a-knocking, and then, like so many businesses, their plans changed and it wasn’t the right time for taking on a copywriter.

When, months later, they got back in touch with me, I was delighted. Ever the one to pay attention to the workings of the universe, I took it as a sign - yes, this is meant to be!

But that initial excitement soon wore off.

The thought of working on this particular project versus the reality of actually working on it, were two very different things. When I was really honest with myself, I realised that throughout the entire process, I struggled.

I struggled because I wasn’t aligned with the work. I did not feel connected to the brand. I was not inspired by the products. The entire time I felt...well, kinda blah about the whole thing.

No bueno. 

Don’t let your imposter syndrome get in the way

With hindsight, I recognised that I was supremely intimidated by this client. They were by far the biggest client I had worked with to date, and for this reason, I created that extra (and totally unnecessary) pressure to produce outstanding results for them.

What ended up happening, was the opposite.

I let my imposter syndrome create a self-sabotaging situation. And at the time, I didn’t even realise I was doing it. I believed I was doing good work. It’s like my brain was not functioning properly. I was so blinded by the “bigness” of this client, that I didn’t take the time to really pay attention to the work. But deep down, the entire time I was working, that little voice was saying, “They’re going to hate this.” And sure enough, they did. 

Self-fulfilling prophecy, anyone?

They may be a “dream” client… but are they really?

On paper, this client was ideal. They were everything I had ever dreamed of. They aligned with my values as a sustainable business owner, they were ethical, they were striving to make the world a better place. All good stuff.

But. But. 

Ultimately, there was something off about this client that I couldn’t put my finger on. And I think what it came down to is the lack of personal connectedness I felt when dealing with them.

Being an intuitive, sensitive soul definitely helps make me a better copywriter. I can capture emotion and use it to create powerful connections between who is being sold to, and whoever’s doing the selling.

But I know now that that same powerful connection has to exist between me and my clients. I have to feel like I know what makes them tick, and I have to get to the very heart of what they’re all about. 

I never felt like I crossed this all-important threshold with this particular client. And that is partly on me - there is more I could have done to dig deeper, but it’s also partly on them. Your clients have to let you “in”.

Clear communication is key

I can’t stress this one enough.

Communication with your client is so dang important. I made the big mistake of forgetting to record our initial consultation - which contained a lot of pertinent information about the project - and instead believed I’d taken enough notes. 

Our wires got crossed. Tangled up as badly as the string of Christmas lights you pull down from the attic every year. I believed they wanted one thing, but in fact, they wanted something else entirely.

And because I didn’t have the initial recording to refer back to, I believed I’d remembered enough of the key points to fulfil on my promises. 

Memory is a tricky thing, though. And when it comes to tackling a big, important client project, you shouldn’t rely solely on your ability to recall information. 

Keeping a clear line of communication open at all times is essential. Don’t be afraid to go back and ask questions. Be annoying if you have to. I made the mistake of letting my pride get in the way - I didn’t want to appear like I hadn’t been listening or paying close attention (one of the things I usually consider to be one of my best characteristics).

Don’t take on work based on your financial situation

Another big takeaway I had from working with this client was the recognition that I partly took them on because I needed to. I was in the midst of a massively challenging personal crossroads, and being the stubborn Aries that I am, I believed I could - and “should” - just keep going. I should keep working because I had no other choice. I needed the money.

When you make decisions based on your financial situation, you’re immediately falling out of alignment with the work. The focus shifts on what you need from that project or client, rather than what your client needs. 

For those of you already familiar with universal law, I don’t need to explain how my focus on needing money was affecting my ability to actually make it.

For all of you who may not be as familiar, here’s a quick lesson: whatever message you’re sending out to the universe is what you’ll get back. So if you’re constantly focussed on what you’re lacking - lack of money, lack of work, lack of motivation - the universe sends you more lack. When you adopt an abundance mindset, the universe is going to send you…yep, you guessed it! More abundance. (There’s some more to explore here, but hopefully you get the gist. I encourage you to read The Secret or listen to some Abraham Hicks if you’re brand new to these concepts.)

And I knew this. I understood how universal law works. But I still let my fear around lack of money creep in. And what ended up happening? I had to refund the client part of their payment - which was a huge chunk of money for me, money I was relying on. A very expensive lesson indeed.

Trust your gut

As clichéd as it may sound, my biggest learning from this deeply upsetting experience, is to always, always, trust your gut.

Your intuition is a powerful thing. I know that when I’m actively listening to mine, I excel.

But when I’m not listening, and instead let external factors cloud my judgment and make decisions based on fear, I always end up suffering in some way.

Ultimately, this has been a pivotal moment in my copywriting career. One that I will not forget any time soon. I share my story with you now in the hopes that it acts as a reminder: we’re all human.

As business owners we can put a tremendous amount of pressure on ourselves, for all sorts of different reasons. If you’re not regularly taking the time to assess and take an honest look at where you’re truly at, how you’re feeling, why you’re doing what you’re doing, it’s easy to fall out of alignment and start down a very treacherous path.

There are so many “hats” we have to wear as entrepreneurs, but the most important one of all? I think it’s the one that guides you. The one that speaks to you from deep down in your belly, whispering to you when you’re on the right track, and warning you when things start to get off balance. From now on, I’ll be donning this particular hat with much more intention and awareness.