In the freelancing world, you need to have bounce-back-ability! After all, things don’t always go according to plan, like when clients bail on you. It’s a fact of life that happens to the best of us. So this post is all about what to do when you lose a client.
Maybe your client has decided to:
- Bring their services in-house
- Put further projects on hold because of budget cuts
- Or (in the case of agencies) have lost clients themselves and, therefore, no longer need your services.
Either way, it’s ‘adios muchacho’, and that’s that!
Whatever the reason, it will leave you with a substantial dollar-shaped hole to fill, particularly if you relied on this client for a large part of your income.
This happened to me at the back end of last year (2022). I lost a long-term client who was paying me between $3000 and $4000 per month. This was 60% of my monthly income gone in one hit.
I’m still sweating a little as I type this, but the point is that when it happens, you can do one of two things. You can,
- let it affect your life or
- you dust yourself off and go again.
The bad news is if you aren’t careful, it’s easy to fall down the rabbit hole of despair, worry and fear.
However;
Losing a long-term client doesn’t have to be the end of the world
There, I’ve said it!
Okay, so maybe I’m super crazy, but I’m a great believer in one door closing and another (even better) door opening.
So if you know how to get back on track quickly, losing a freelance client doesn’t have to be a complete disaster.
That’s what I’m going to help you with.
In this post, I’ll give you the reasons why losing a freelance client isn’t the end of the world, plus some real-world tips on what to do when you lose a client and how to get back on track fast.
So let’s get started:
Reason #1 – Losing a client buys you time
While you now have a client-shaped whole in your day, the bonus is that it gives you time.
It might be that you previously spent most of your working day serving this client’s needs. This left little time for other stuff like marketing, growing your business or building new relationships. As a result, your business might have stagnated.
Now that you have that time back, take the opportunity to channel your frustration and fear and turn it into action.
Here’s what you need to do:
Take a day or two off – Okay, so I know this sounds counterproductive, but sometimes, stepping away from your business when you’ve lost a freelance client allows you to look at the bigger picture while re-energising yourself for the task ahead.
Remember, this is not about indulging in self-pity or wasting time complaining on social media. This is about getting your headspace together and gearing yourself up for bigger and better things.
So, take a drive in the country, go for a long walk or visit a friend. Do whatever you must to get yourself in the right frame of mind for what’s to come.
Trust me; you’ll feel a lot better for it!
Upon your return, the first thing to do is to:
Revisit your financials – Look how you can get by for the following weeks or months until you land a new client. Consider cutting back on everyday living. Do you really need that Netflix account or that monthly subscription box? Is that car journey really necessary at the end of the month? Work out a revamped financial plan and stick to it.
Once you have a handle on your finances, the next step is to:
Ensure all invoicing is up to date and paid – When you’ve lost a client, every penny counts. So send any invoices for completed work you haven’t yet sent and chase up any late payers.
I try to keep the email friendly and non-threatening with something like:
Hi (insert name),
I hope you’re doing well.
I’ve just been going through my accounts and saw that this invoice is still outstanding. If so, it’s no big deal, but it would really help me if you could settle this as soon as you possibly can.
Give me a shout if there’s anything I can help you with.
Cheers.
It could be that they genuinely forgot or thought they had already paid, so a friendly approach is always best.
Alternatively, if you go on the offensive and demand immediate payment, you’re only going to annoy them. The last thing you need is another client saying ‘sayonara.’
So, always err on the side of caution and keep your emails good-natured.
Once you’re on top of your invoicing, you can:
Start marketing you! – Take some of your newfound time to polish up your portfolio or writer’s website. Go through it and ensure your very best work is front and centre. It’s also a great idea to update your LinkedIn profile. You’ll be surprised how many people don’t have a job title in their headlines. Is your experience up to date? What about your projects/samples?
Now that your best samples are front and centre, you’re in a good position to channel all your energies in the right direction.
This brings us to the next positive of losing a long-term client.
Reason #2 – Losing a client allows you to refocus
Having to replace a client (particularly one who contributes to the majority of your income) can seem like a daunting prospect. But for all the negativity surrounding it, the loss does focus the mind.
Often, when we’re head down working on a large client project, everything else takes a back seat. Self-promotion, marketing and blogging might not seem so important when you’re busy.
So, losing that work can give you the focus you need to channel any energies in the right direction.
With this in mind, here’s what I would do next:
Email past clients – The easiest way to land work quickly is to email every client you’ve ever worked with. Drop them a line asking if they need any content help right now.
Also, if you have client stuff in the pipeline, liaise with them and see if it’s possible to bring any work forward.
Here’s an example of an email I use:
Hi (insert client name),
I hope all is good with you.
I just wanted to check in and see if you need any blog posts for (business name) or are ready to proceed with (insert project) that we discussed earlier in the year.
I have some availability this month, so let me know if there’s anything I can help you with.
It’s short, friendly and to the point!
Often, when I do this, something invariably turns up.
Remember, if you’ve lost a sizeable chunk of your income, you don’t have to replace that income with one client. Often, potential clients are more susceptible to the offer of smaller projects.
So if you can write a couple of blog posts per month for several clients, it may go some way towards filling the hole that your previous client left.
Finally, the other thing to do is to:
Ask for referrals – In addition to emailing current or previous clients for work, I would also ask for referrals. This may be a little uncomfortable as it can feel like you’re inconveniencing them somehow, but in truth, people like being asked for referrals.
Why?
Because it makes them feel well-connected and helpful.
So, if the client responds with something like:
“I don’t have any work right now, but as soon as I do, I’ll give you a shout.”
It pays to follow it up with something like:
“Okay, thanks.
In the meantime, if you hear of anyone looking for blogging writing help, I’d appreciate a referral.”
You may be surprised at who takes you up on the offer.
Just recently, I did exactly that to one of my previous clients. They put me in touch with another client looking for help writing a series of power-point presentations. So it pays to ask for referrals.
In addition to giving you time to refocus, there’s a final reason why losing a client may not be a bad idea, and it’s this:
Reason #3 – Losing a client is all part of the process
As I said at the start of this post, everyone goes through the process of losing a client at some point. So please don’t beat yourself up about it. The key thing is how you bounce back from it.
While you can’t guarantee that it won’t happen again, what you can do is initiate plans to ensure that if a client does ghost you, their loss won’t impact your financials in such a big way. Consider it a valuable learning curve.
Therefore, why not use the time left by the client vacancy to do the following:
Explore other revenue streams – Now may be the ideal time to look at other revenue streams like affiliate marketing, launching your own product or building up your blog. All the stuff you’ve wanted to do but, until now, have never had the time.
This way, if it does happen again, the impact is minimised because the reliance on any one client (or type of revenue) isn’t so great.
Trust me (and I’ve learnt this from experience), placing all your eggs in one basket is never a good idea!
Instead, work out a game plan and see if you can fit any side hustles alongside your existing client work.
The final step in this process is to ensure you have a steady pipeline of client leads as a backup. The only way to do this is to:
Send out cold email pitches – Let’s face it, cold pitching is something that everyone stresses over, but it doesn’t have to be that hard. Go to Google and type in ‘your industry’ in ‘a designated area‘, for example:
‘Dental clinics in London’
Then it’s simply a case of sending out a personalised pitch asking them if they need help with their content.
If you are unsure how to write a personalised pitch and why you really should, I’ve written a post on how to send a cold pitch that gets dental clients.
As the title suggests, it’s primarily for the dental niche, but the same principles apply to any industry. So feel free to check it out.
As you start to pitch, you’ll get better at it, and you’ll get to know what does and doesn’t work. You’ll also create a database of industry contacts to build on. Then it’s simply a case of emailing them regularly and following up.
The key is to take action daily, even when busy. Doing so ensures that the pipeline of opportunity never dries up.
So there you have it – What to do when you lose a client and how you can get back on track fast.
Hopefully, this has been helpful.
If you are interested in becoming a freelance dental writer, visit my website, Dental Writers Club and download my extensive free guide. It walks you through the entire process of how to become a well-paid dental content writer from getting started to landing your first paying client.
Thanks, and here’s to your success.