How to handle bad reviews and publicity from clients?

[animeshe14]

Well my friends husband use to do freelancing jobs (he is a video editor by the way) in high school and collage. He was doing good in his part time job as a freelancer and got good reviews for his work but one time one of his clients didn't like how the video he made turned out and posted nasty reviews about him. Well to make the story short he quit freelancing because of this.

Being an independent freelancer how should should someone handle this type of situations?
Is it still possible for someone to continue freelancing after such an incident?

 

[Hostlumina]

It's about been professional and honest.

Receiving a bad review will happen at one point for any individual freelancing or company. It comes down to not taking it personally and looking at the situation objectively. If as an individual or business makes an error, acknowledge it and try to make it right for the person affected. Do not hide it, shift blame, or cover it and never go on the offensive, as this will most likely get you in trouble by saying something you might regret. Remember you are the face of your business and yourself.

If you/business did nothing wrong just state your side of the story by been clear, professional, calm, address all points, and back it up with what you can without breaching any privacy.

People, will make their decision based on the interaction and hopefully the client turns and is happy with the outcome and appreciate all the hard efforts in public also. I have found that those that you manage to turn around and provided that positive experience become the most loyal clients. They will appreciate your efforts, hard work, and the quality of service received to ensure they got what they paid for.

"It's not just about customer service but also about customer experience" - Oswald / Hostlumina

 

[David Ewen]

Getting bad reviews is part of the experience just like running for public office. A freelancer reaches out to a large audience just like a person running for public office. They never get a 100% approval rating because it is not 100% possible. Have you noticed that the successful officials in public office don't let picket lines sway them? People and businesses have opinions and not everyone will be pleased. This happens in the life of a freelancer. Occasionally, there will be that client who says "no". But for every "no", there are many more "yes's". By returning back and seeking the YES, the No's are easily forgotten. If the talent is there, the occasional NO will not disrupt the business. Hope that helps. Let me know if that made a dent to make things better. Thanks.

Well my friends husband use to do freelancing jobs (he is a video editor by the way) in high school and collage. He was doing good in his part time job as a freelancer and got good reviews for his work but one time one of his clients didn't like how the video he made turned out and posted nasty reviews about him. Well to make the story short he quit freelancing because of this.

Being an independent freelancer how should should someone handle this type of situations?
Is it still possible for someone to continue freelancing after such an incident?

 

[david smith]

Getting a bad review is bad, but then one needs to look what went wrong, is there still any scope to get the issue resolved. Customers like honesty and it they know what the issue was, they would not mind giving the task even if there was a negative review in the past.

 

[Rhombus]

You can judge a persons character when faced with adversity. Not everyone is going to love you (or your work) all of the time. Approach negative reviews with honesty while asking for the opportunity to learn and grow.
In addition to creating a calm, accommodating image to future clients, trolls will give up when faced with kindness as it is not the reaction they were hoping for.
I watched a speech where a video (that had been criticized) was played. The objection was for everyone to find what was wrong with it. The moral was that nothing was in fact wrong with it, specs had been followed, however it is impossible to please everyone all of the time.

 

[joegirl]

Just goes to say you need to have confidence and belief in yourself more than in anyone. You should not let negative criticism stop you in anything. He should just have shaken it off and moved on, if he was sure that he did a great job.

People will always be different and if you are working online, you have to learn how to take the good and the bad. Work on the good to make it better and throw out the bad.

 

[cmarkcsco]

Constructive criticism can lead to a better work output and performance. It just goes to show that one can improve in his craft and be a better person over-all.

You must learn that you cannot please everyone and that people will always be there to judge your work. What matters most is how you can improve not only your work but also yourself.

Have the guts to take it as a man and treat it as an inspiration to do better next time.

 

[Marjorie Flores]

It is expected that we cannot please everybody or anyone. Even though you've put so much time and effort on the things you do, other people might not appreciate it the way we do. The expression of disapproval of someone or something based on perceived faults or mistakes such as: "they want the things to be done differently based on their expectations" will actually give us more confidence on the next projects.

Me personally, I would take it as a good lesson to be more attentive and be better. Quitting will never be an answer. As long as we are doing something, whether it's work related, personal or what not, we should expect that someone might disagree because all of us have our own opinions. Let's make it an inspiration for the better and continue even if we failed how many times.