We’ve all experienced it; customers wanting to get more for their money by adding in ‘just one little thing’ that ‘shouldn’t take much time at all’. Of course they want more for the same amount (or preferably even less), we all do. And as consultants we always want to say “Yes!” when what the client wants is within our ability to accomplish. That doesn’t mean we have to DO the work, just cause it to be done and charge for the additional overhead.

However, there’s a not so fine line that separates work that fits within the core engagement and the potentially time sucking, project sinking, energy draining activities that the client is trying to ‘train’ us to accept. Not only is it important to define the boundaries for the first engagement, it’s key in setting expectations and precedents for how future work will be added. After all we all know what happens if you let the camel put it’s nose inside the tent.

Knowing the right way to communicate the boundaries, establish accurate expectations and  define the scope of your work; what’s included and what’s extra is an important skill that many independent contractors struggle with and need to hone.

So when the client opens up their can of worms, talking about the problem they can’t fix themselves, the effort they don’t have time to pursue, or the ‘new’ idea they’d like to incorporate, how do we get to the “Yes!” with mutual satisfaction? It’s all in the language and positioning. The goal is to be in complete agreement (considering you DO agree with their ideas) while making clear that it’s going to cost them. Use statements, proposals, and choices worded positively that also make clear that they are adding to their tab.

Here are a few of our favorite phrases that work:

• That’s a great way to augment the services we provide in our standard engagements.
• We’re always interested and excited to expand our relationship into new areas.
• Shall we expand the scope of our contract with that service from the outset?
• I’ll create a draft of the the Work Assignment for the new efforts and send it to you for approval.
• We can create a separate workflow to get that done in parallel with the main tasks so it’s ready for integration without delay.
• Collaborating on differing action plans takes more time, but can be worth the investment.
• We’ll want to be sure that extra work will give you the return on investment to make it worthwhile.
• Customization to that level requires additional time, effort and energy, when you decide you want to pursue it.
• We regularly define custom activities like that with our customers and increase our level of involvement.
• Have you budgeted for that?

10 Useful Phrases to Preserve the Value of Your Work, 8.0 out of 10 based on 1 rating