You’ve contacted your potential freelance client, done your research, and prepared what you believe is an amazing pitch well-suited to the customer’s business needs. You’re ready to negotiate the contract terms only to find out that your pitch has been rejected. Ouch! You may receive an explanation, or you may receive only a nice phone call or email with no explanation whatsoever.
Sounds familiar? Freelancing is more prevalent than ever in today’s milieu of self-starter businesses and remote workers. According to Upwork’s 2020 report, there are 59 million independent workers in the United States. That equates to 36% of the workforce.
As a freelancer, you must pitch jobs, but not every pitch will result in a contract. Handling freelance client rejection is a necessary part of the job—how here’s to deal with it!
5 Strategies for Dealing with Freelance Client Rejection
#1 Get feedback
Find out what the client didn’t like about your pitch and look at what didn’t work with an analytical, objective approach. Sometimes, convincing clients that you can adjust or fully redo whatever they didn’t like may open the door to a new pitch.
#2 Customize your pitches
A fundamental business premise is that what works for one client may not work for another. Pitches aren’t set-and-forget proposition. After a freelance client rejection, go through the pitch and see where you screwed up and how you can improve it. Even if your pitch was perfect, your client might have thought it was too generic.
#3 Analyze rejections
Your focus should be: What might have been the problem? Was that too long or too short of a pitch? Was it too broad or too narrow? Was there a strong call to action? Check to see whether your presentation was successful. If not, you can improve your act by doing anything from practicing in front of a mirror to focusing on your pitch writing. Keep in mind that if you hear no too often, your plan may need to be revised.
#4 Set a competitive & reasonable price
Freelance client rejection can sometimes be because the product or service is too expensive (or too cheap). Make sure to price your freelance services or product at a current market rate that’s appealing to the client.
#5 Don’t take it personally
Isn’t it true that it’s easier said than done? Remember that J.K. Rowling’s first Harry Potter book was rejected by 12 publishers before being accepted by Bloomsbury Publishing. An unsuccessful pitch doesn’t mean you’re a failure; it simply means that the pitch you sent wasn’t appropriate for that client at that moment. Remember that the path to success is paved with pitches, so keep the freelance client rejection in perspective. Some accept, and others don’t—but they’re all an important part of your business path.
Final thoughts
When a freelance client rejects you, take the time to review your pitch and figure out how to get better. This will help you prepare for long-term freelance success. Ready to start looking for new freelancing jobs?
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