To what extent should a seller be honest, straightforward, or blunt with their clients?

[strategist_ceo]

As a seller, if you stick to your beliefs, does it harm your reputation? I've started to worry recently because I've been using a common response (template reply) that gives a lot of useful information. But some people are reacting rudely, thinking I'm not a real person but a "chatbot".

Just today, a person argued with me and I told him that I could "fix his errors" in the future (I stole this quote from someone in the forum, but I forgot who), and that I didn't want to work with him now.

After he finally realized that I was trying to be very helpful, he decided he wanted me to help him. I was very open and clear with him, telling him "I'm sure you see why I'm upset with your accusation. I've been polite/nice to everyone who's contacted me, but I don't have that sense of "goodwill" with you anymore."

He responded "I understand and acknowledge your explanation. Do you want a formal apology?"

We exchanged smileys and finished the hostile exchange.

But it made me wonder, do we always have to be the ones who back down when dealing with customers like this?

Another customer today asked to refund and I said no. I gave her correct legal advice, but she decided to act as her own lawyer until she finally agreed that "part of my work was right" and she wanted some of her money back.

I had to tell her that just because she didn't understand the system, that didn't mean my work was wrong. Actually, my work is very good and has helped many people. I don't understand why she chose to interpret the law when I gave her clear official guidelines with url to official source.

She might leave me a bad review. That would hurt.

Really, if I always have to worry about people's feelings, I won't be as good a consultant. What's up with that?

Side note: while starting this topic, I saw a topic I started many moons ago:

From what has transpired so far, it's clear that I've changed significantly on this platform, gaining confidence in the process. However, am I becoming overly confident? A complaint or a negative review could potentially lead to my demotion and sabotage my algorithm momentum. Part and parcel of freelancing on the platform?

[breals]

1 hour ago, strategist_ceo said:

From what has transpired so far, it's clear that I've changed significantly on this platform, gaining confidence in the process. However, am I becoming overly confident? A complaint or a negative review could potentially lead to my demotion and sabotage my algorithm momentum. Part and parcel of freelancing on the platform?

This is a really good topic. But unfortunately probably the hardest to answer without any clarity, as all of us have different agenda's and tipping points. 

One thing I will say is that I tend to stand my ground if a customer is rude, arrogant or uncooperative. If they want to recite the rules that I have read 1000 times over, and I am in the right, then I won't back down. However, if there is a genuine loggerhead (Sorry for the UKism) then I will be more likely to bend my principles or agree to go that little bit further to ensure the relationship doesn't break down.  

With over 80% of my customers returning for more work, I feel that sometimes there can be a little give and take on both sides (Within reason). But for short, sharp gigs I understand that this can not always be the case.

This probably one of my most 'sitting on the fence' replies ever 😀

[donnovan86]

1 hour ago, strategist_ceo said:

However, am I becoming overly confident? A complaint or a negative review could potentially lead to my demotion and sabotage my algorithm momentum.

Generally, I am the one trying to deflate the situation, if there's any "heat". There's no benefit for me if I argue with anyone, because people can easily leave a review sharing their experience, not to mention their private review. So in general, I try to be very helpful and also I am the one trying to solve any type of issue. I think it's fine to be confident, but you also need to realize that some people are offended very quickly. 

That's why I always try to talk with potential customers first. If they have unreasonable expectations or they ask unrelated stuff instead of giving me the guidelines or saying what they want, clearly that's not the type of client I can work with. So yeah, for me, it's important to vet people beforehand. 

[texvox]

It makes sense in general to always do your best to find a way to arrive at a mutually beneficial solution. Problem solvers tend to get a lot further in business than problem-identifiers and significantly further than combative business owners. There are plenty of clients I've worked with over the years that I would have happily told to go fly a kite, but from a business perspective it makes the most sense to kill with kindness, as it were.

Here on Fiverr this is especially important due to the power of the private buyer review. In the real world if a client has a poor experience they can leave a public review and take their business away. Here on Fiverr they can leave a private review and take your business away in the form of the algorithm burying you after a negative private review. Thankfully I've never had this happen to me, but I've known a fair few people who did have this happen in spite of doing their best to arrive at a positive solution for a buyer (I've seen the transcripts; there are truly some people out there that think they are God's gift to you).

If you find yourself working with a particularly difficult client I would always focus on finding the best solution for you both given the situation, and then if you do not wish to work with them again take appropriate action to ensure they can no longer place an order from you. 

If you are a Seller Plus subscriber and have access to the "Request to Order" function I would highly recommend using it. I have mine on 24/7 and it's done nothing but great things for my Fiverr business, allowing me to pre-screen buyers and projects to ensure we'd be a good fit, much like I would with my direct voiceover clients. If a situation seems fishy, or a client really seems like a poor fit, I can simply decline the project. 

[strategist_ceo]

In my line of service, I often find myself in a predicament where my role is to categorize people into two groups: A or B. If they fall under group A, I can help them, whereas group B encompasses individuals I am unable to assist.

There are instances where individuals, upon being identified as part of group B, question my judgment or harbor misconceptions about why they should belong to group A.

Due to the nature of my service, it is unavoidable that I may upset those individuals when I convey the realistic circumstance to them.

The difficulty comes into place precisely with group "B". It is often the case that they have assumptions about possessing superior education or jobs. However, the reality comes crashing down when I inform them of the necessity for a foreign credential evaluation to ascertain the U.S. equivalency or highlight the apparent "mismatch" between their engineering degree and their work experience in a field like supply chain management. This mismatch makes them less "appealing on paper."

While many appreciate this straightforward approach, there is always a minority that retaliates, turning unnecessarily confrontational.

[shibiyas]

In freelancing, I try to balance asserting myself when needed.