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Update: I thought being super nice was the only way to handle a difficult client, but a freelancer in Seattle told me she lost a $5k project because she was too agreeable and didn't set clear rules from the start.

Has anyone else found that being too flexible actually makes a bad situation worse, and what's a good first step to setting those boundaries without sounding mean?
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4 Comments
gray314
gray3142mo ago
I used to think bending over backwards was just good customer service. After a client kept asking for "one more tiny change" for two extra months, I finally got it. Now my first email has three bullet points about revision limits and payment schedules. It feels awkward but it saves so much time.
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noahwood
noahwood2mo ago
Yeah, I had to learn that the hard way too, just like @gray314.
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bell.jessica
Five grand? That seems like a really specific number. I've had clients push deadlines but I just stopped answering emails after a certain point. Never ended up paying me extra or anything crazy like that. Feels like a lot of freelancers get caught up in the worst case scenario stories.
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lilyt23
lilyt232mo ago
Seriously, a five thousand dollar lesson seems a bit extreme though.
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