Your client wants more deliverables than agreed upon. How do you navigate their expectations effectively?
When clients push beyond the agreed terms, establish clear boundaries with these steps:
How do you handle scope creep with your clients? Would love to hear your strategies.
Your client wants more deliverables than agreed upon. How do you navigate their expectations effectively?
When clients push beyond the agreed terms, establish clear boundaries with these steps:
How do you handle scope creep with your clients? Would love to hear your strategies.
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When scope creep arises, explore these key questions with your client or project sponsor to set clear expectations: ✔️What elements of the project are the highest priority? ✔️How do shifting priorities impact timelines, resources, or deliverables? ✔️Can the current consultant or team handle the additional scope by way of bandwidth or expertise, or will new resources be required? ✔️If so, do these additional resources bill out at a higher rate due to the complexity of the work? By engaging in a transparent discussion around these trade-offs, you can collaboratively navigate evolving expectations while maintaining alignment and project success. ✔️ Or call me- I am happy to help apply my 20 years of consulting expertise ~
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First assess the ask. If it's manageable and the client is a reasonable person and the relationship is long-standing, you should have the heart to do it. Everything isn't about money and you have to invest in a relationship. Yet make sure the client is made aware of it. If it isn't manageable. Explain what it entails for you and how it impacts your ROI. Yet be open to doing some part of it and don't hesitate to ask for what is going to hurt you.
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When scope creep rears its head, clarity is your best friend. Start by revisiting the original agreement. No need to be defensive, just factual. Then, offer solutions: "We can add this feature, but it'll impact timeline and cost, here's what that looks like." Transparency about trade-offs shifts the conversation from "I want more" to "What's feasible?" Clients will respect your ability to balance boundaries with collaboration, and you'll avoid becoming their everything-for-free resource.
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