Having a client tell you that he doesn’t like your work can break your heart in two. Not only can it affect your confidence, but it can also affect the way that you work on future projects. When a customer tells you the words that you don’t want to hear, you have to try to pull yourself together and put a new perspective on the situation. There are many reasons why the customer might not like your work. Maybe it is something specific that he doesn’t like, or maybe he doesn’t like it because of corporate red type sort of guidelines. If you don’t ask, you won’t know.

There are a few things that you should do to make sure that this situation ends in a positive fashion. Here are 10 things that you must consider if you are in a position where a customer doesn’t like the job that you are doing.

(1) Keep Calm and don’t raise your voice or act in a rude fashion towards the client.

(2) Don’t get over-defensive as you will end up sounding like a child.

(3) Don’t play the blame game. If you need to, politely mention that you weren’t given the proper instructions or information, etc.

(4) Ask the client specific questions to find out what he / she didn’t like about your work.

(5) Find out what you can do to make this situation right.

(6) If this is a first draft, then tell the client. Explain that first drafts are a way to get on the same page with each other and that it is natural not to love the first draft. Ensure the customer that the 2nd draft will be much better and much closer to the final product.

(7) Remember that this happens to everyone. This doesn’t mean that you stink at what you do.

(8) Don’t fall into a depression that leads to a career change. You are good at what you do. You know this. Don’t let one client’s opinion affect the rest of your life.

(9) Learn from your mistakes.

(10) Don’t end it badly with the customer. Make sure that you are professional because acting badly will just make things even worst.