How To Prevent Scope Creep Without Sign-Offs
In response to my post about managing multiple projects without deadlines, I received this follow-up question:
Since you don’t ask for sign-off, how do you prevent a client from constantly asking for things like... I don’t know, one or two years after you got your final payment?
I don’t “prevent” it per se, but it never happens because I’m picky about who I work with. My mantra about this is:
I only work with clients who I’d like to have dinner with.
In more specific terms, I only work with clients who I like and trust - folks who I genuinely enjoy being around. This is a two-way street of course - clients who I like and trust are more likely to like and trust me. Over time, this creates a relationship based on mutual respect.
Clients who respect you do not make unreasonable requests.
If you work with a lot of clients who are unreasonable and/or you don’t like or trust, you might want to do something about that. Attracting clients who you like and trust solves a lot of problems - you can do higher value work, increase your fees, and generally improve your quality of life.
Do you have questions about how to attract better clients? Just email me at jstark@jonathanstark.com - I read every message :-)