Decide what you will not change. Then write the reply.
One calm reply to a demanding client email, built from their message, your contract terms, and the outcome you want.
Replies to difficult clients go wrong in two ways. Either you give in to end the discomfort, or you defend so hard that the original problem disappears under the argument. Both happen because the reply was written before anyone decided what was fixed.
Difficult Client Email works in order. It reads the message for the real ask and the feeling, has you decide what you will hold and what you can give, then drafts a short reply in four parts. It strips the defensive phrases, runs a test for whether the client's boss could read it, and recommends sending, waiting, or calling.
What it produces.
- →A breakdown of the client's demand, feeling, and accurate points
- →A hold-and-give list you have decided on
- →One reply of 120 to 180 words
- →A send, wait, or call recommendation
- ✦Agency owners who just read an angry client email
- ✦Account managers handling demands for free work
- ✦Freelancers facing payment threats or blame
This Playbook produces one reply to one client email. It does not include the three alternative drafts, strategic angles, or trade-off comparison that the Strategic Email Tool provides. That Tool is for high-stakes emails of any kind, where seeing several approaches side by side is the point.
See the Strategic Email Tool ($49) →- →difficult-client-email.zip: a native Claude Skill. Upload to Settings → Skills in Claude, or unzip to
~/.claude/skills/ - →difficult-client-email-skill.md: plain markdown. Works in ChatGPT Custom GPTs, Gemini, Claude Projects, agent system prompts, anywhere
- →A README inside the zip with install steps for Claude, ChatGPT, and Gemini
No subscription · free updates within v1.x
Works as a Claude Skill (.zip) and as a plain .md for ChatGPT, Gemini & every LLM
Delivered to your email within 60 seconds · Secured by Stripe
Price includes UK VAT where applicable
Before you buy.
How is this different from just asking Claude directly?
Asked cold, Claude tends to write a soft, over-apologetic reply or a stiff one that cites the contract. This makes you choose the line first, then writes to it, and removes the defensive phrasing.
How is this different from a Tool?
Playbooks are systematically produced to a fixed template and priced accordingly ($12.99). Tools are hand-built, one at a time, and go deeper ($39 to $199). A Playbook gives you a reliable method for routine work; a Tool is for when the judgment matters more than the format. This Playbook produces one reply to one client email. It does not include the three alternative drafts, strategic angles, or trade-off comparison that the Strategic Email Tool provides. That Tool is for high-stakes emails of any kind, where seeing several approaches side by side is the point.
Will this work with ChatGPT, Gemini, and other LLMs?
Yes. You get a native Claude Skill (.zip) that auto-invokes in Claude, plus a plain .md you can paste into a ChatGPT Custom GPT, a Gemini system prompt, or any LLM. The procedure travels with the file.
Can I share this with my team?
It's licensed for your own personal and professional use. The output it produces is yours to circulate. To put the Playbook itself in the hands of a whole team, email hello@authority.md about team licensing.
What if it doesn't work for me?
If the file hasn't been delivered, or arrives defective or empty, we refund in full: see our refund policy.