Dealing with Difficult Clients: How to Protect Your Energy and Maintain Your Standards

Every business owner, freelancer or practitioner will, at some point, face the sting of dealing with difficult clients who doesn’t seem to value what you do. It might show up as constant pushback on your prices, ignoring your advice, or treating your time and expertise as disposable. Whatever form it takes, it can leave you feeling frustrated, drained, and even questioning your worth.

So what can you do when you find yourself in that situation?

1. Start by Checking In With Yourself

When a client relationship feels off, take a moment before reacting. Is the client genuinely disrespecting your work—or are they unclear about your process, expectations or boundaries?

Ask yourself:

• Did I clearly explain how I work?

• Are my pricing and policies transparent?

• Have I allowed too much flexibility out of fear of losing the client?

Sometimes we unintentionally train clients to undervalue us by over-accommodating or under-communicating.

2. Reassert Your Boundaries—Firmly and Calmly

Clients who don’t respect your time, knowledge or process will keep pushing until you draw the line. Boundaries aren’t about being harsh or punitive; they’re about protecting your energy and creating a framework for mutual respect.

You might say:

“I’ve noticed a few areas where our expectations might not be aligned. I’d like to clarify how I work and what you can expect going forward.”

If you're being asked to do more than agreed, under pressure:

“I’m happy to explore additional support, and I can quote for that separately.”

Make it easy for clients to understand what’s within scope—and what’s not.

3. Get Clear on Your Value (and Say It Out Loud)

If you don’t value your work, it’s unlikely your clients will. Difficult clients often zero in on hesitation, underpricing, or lack of clarity. When you’re grounded in the impact you make, you speak and price differently.

Try saying:

“What I offer isn’t just time—it’s years of experience, training, and insight that helps you get better results, faster.”

You don’t need to convince or justify—just speak with calm confidence.

4. How a Virtual Assistant Can Help with Difficult Clients

If you find yourself regularly dealing with difficult clients, a virtual assistant can act as a buffer and lighten the emotional load. It’s much easier to stay focused on your best work when someone else is handling admin, managing expectations, and gently enforcing your systems.

A good VA can:

• Help set up smooth onboarding and communication processes.

• Screen incoming client enquiries for red flags.

• Handle awkward follow-ups and enforce boundaries, professionally.

This small layer of separation can make a huge difference—especially when you’re trying to grow without getting stuck in the weeds of emotional labour.

5. Don’t Be Afraid to Walk Away

This can be the hardest step, especially if money is tight or you’ve already invested a lot in the relationship. But staying in a dynamic where you’re not respected will cost you more in the long run—emotionally, mentally, and sometimes financially too.

Clients who constantly undermine you, drain your energy or refuse to honour agreements aren’t just “difficult”—they’re not a good fit. And letting go of the wrong client creates space for better ones.

“I don’t believe this working relationship is serving either of us well. I’d like to suggest we wrap up here, and I’ll support a smooth handover if needed.”

6. Learn and Adjust For Next Time

Every tough client teaches us something—often about our own blind spots, boundaries or systems. After the dust settles, take a moment to ask:

• Did I spot red flags early enough?

• Do I need to change anything in how I onboard clients or write contracts?

• What will I do differently next time?

You can’t control how others behave—but you can strengthen the way you work, so that the clients who do value you have every reason to stick around.

Remember: You Deserve to Be Valued

You’re allowed to expect respect. You’re allowed to protect your energy. And you’re allowed to shape your business in a way that works for you—not just your clients.

Dealing with difficult clients is never fun, but it can be manageable—and even transformative—when you respond with clarity, confidence and care. With strong boundaries, good support, and a grounded sense of your own value, you can spend far less time firefighting and far more time doing the work that matters.

Setting boundaries is key to a healthy business relationship