Upon entering 2021, I knew my focus would be email marketing and I was excited to start working with clients. Although I wasn’t actively looking at the time, I had my eyes peeled for opportunities.
I was scrolling through facebook and saw a post from an acquaintance asking for help with some technical parts of their email marketing and automation.
I jumped at the opportunity to help!
I sent him (yes, him) a private message with details on how I could help and my rate and he quickly agreed to hire me.
This would not only be my first client of the year, he’d also be my first client for these particular services. I felt like everything was aligned.
We started with a consult where I outlined what to expect and how I would put a sustainable solution in place for home. Afterwards, he quickly signed my service agreement and paid the invoice and I began working in his account.
The project ran smoothly and I completed the project within the specified timeframe and the following week off-boarded the client.
Smooth sailing. Right?
A few days after our off-boarding call, he let me know that there was an unexpected issue with his account, so we got on a call to discuss it.
After about 10 minutes of troubleshooting live on the call and not being able to fix the problem, I let him know I’d need another 24 hours, maximum, to fix the issue and ensure that the problem didn’t come up again.
He said something that completely shook me...
He said, “You’re the expert. It shouldn't take 24 hrs to fix it if you're the expert”
Although he basically tried to bully me into doing what he wanted, I was firm on the 24 hr time frame because I wanted to dedicate the appropriate time and resources so he wouldn't have the issue again.
He responded by saying, “I'm missing out on money because of this. Its been 2 weeks, and I can’t keep on missing out on money” And ultimately he asked for a refund.
Read my response:
I'm sorry that you weren't pleased with the automation services that I provided. I take responsibility for not being clear about what to expect while I was working in your Mailchimp account. I should have been more clear that you would not be able to contact subscribers for the duration of the service. However, I was clear in exactly what I would be doing in your account how long it would take me to do it. Please refer to our Email Services Agreement that clearly states that service would be rendered by January 29th, which I did. If you had concerns about this timeframe, then you should have made me aware of that before signing the agreement. In regards to the workflow issue that you brought to my attention today, it was caused by an automation that was outside my purview. I am sorry you weren't pleased. But your displeasure was not a result of my service or lack thereof. Therefore, I will not be issuing a refund.
I was proud of myself for not giving in and bending my boundaries. But I realized that there were huge gaps in my processes and mindset for me to even allow this to happen in the way it happened.
Although this was a difficult client experience, it was more of a reflection of me than the client. Here are 5 lessons I’ve learned from my 1st (and worst) client experience of 2021:
I only charged $100 for this service. It took me 2 weeks and about 12 hours to complete. I should have been better compensated for my time AND expertise.
I covered myself for having an agreement that outlined what would happen and how long it would take, but I didn't include a refund policy. Now I include a very clear refund policy in all of my agreements.
Always be clear about what’s going to happen and how long it will take AND add in buffer time to address unseen issues. I could have been more clear about what to expect. In this case, I should have explicitly stated that the client wouldn’t be able to operate normally while I was working for him. I thought that could be clear, but I guess not.
My price is my price. My timeline is my timeline. And my process is my process. I value being flexible, it's a necessary trait as a service provider. At the same time, it's important for me to stand firm in the reasons why I’ve put certain things in place for my business. I’ll feel good about myself and the work I do and the people I work with will respect me.
I’ve had a hard time coming to the realization that I am, indeed, the expert. When clients hire me, whether I think so or not, they’ve hired me because I am the expert with the tools and expertise to do what they are asking of me.
Considering myself as an expert has been a game changer. It changes the way I operate, who I choose to work with, and the type of things I'm willing to accept. Because I am an Email Marketing Expert, I won’t allow myself to be bullied by clients who couldn’t do what I do on their best day.
After working with this client, I IMMEDIATELY raised my prices and implemented a refund policy in my agreements/contracts.
I'm also more selective about the clients I choose to work with and the platforms I choose to work on. All clients must complete applications to work with me and I vet them fully before agreeing to work with them. This allows me to curate working experiences and a community that I’m proud of.
So overall, this was not a bad client but he had me f****d up. And that's on period.
Thankfully, I have a great support system that supported me as I was dealing with the fall out. They validated me, showed me where I could improve but ultimately helped me realize my worth.
So I want to hear from you! Have you had a less than stellar client experience this year? How did you work through it? What did you learn? Shoot me a DM or tag me on Twitter to share your experience with me.
