“NO is a complete sentence.”

I’m sure you’ve heard this saying or seen it floating around the internet. Personally and professionally, I tend to agree with it. I believe it is a powerful statement on the greater concept of setting boundaries. There are many ways we set boundaries in our businesses. Be it contracts, deadlines, or clear communication, working with customers and clients is going to be difficult if you don’t set boundaries, or don’t know where the boundaries are. We don’t always have to say no to clients or customers. Setting expectations from the get-go is a surefire way to help you set expectations for your client and ensure a good working relationship with those you serve. Today I am going to cover a few different common scenarios where boundaries need to be drawn and how you might go about setting them.

For this post, I am going to use a past client experience with a guy named Tyler (not his real name). Tyler asked me to rebrand his company. I happily obliged. Tyler signed a contract and paid his deposit. I had a hunch he was going to be troublesome, but the contract was signed and his deposit was paid, so I ignored my gut feeling. Upon receiving his proofs, Tyler didn’t like what I had provided, but he chose a concept anyway, eventually saying, “What’s not to love?” After a month of no contact, I received an email asking what we were going to do about the logo. I wasn’t clear on what he meant. He expressed that he was dissatisfied with the concepts provided, with the length of time it was taking, with the number of concepts he received, and the cost. I offered him a few other concepts that I had whipped up that I believed were more his pace. He declined. After that, he abandoned the project.

CONTRACTS
In my opinion, contracts are the best way to outline your expectations and your responsibilities. Generally speaking, my contracts cover creative process, contact information, services provided, timelines, travel expenses, required deliverables, additional expenses, and copyright and ownership. I also cover what I am and am not responsible for. All of these things were in Tyler’s contract. I regularly refer back to my contracts to make sure I am upholding my end, so when I looked back at the contract that Tyler had signed, I was surprised to find that he likely did not read the contract. (Sidenote: always read your contract.) The contract stated how many concept proofs he would receive and that he agreed to participate in this work according to my creative process. It was also stated that I am not responsible for deadlines missed due to a lapse in communication. This proved to me that my contract was pretty airtight. He was pretty surprised when I referred him back to the contract regarding his complaints.

If your client is becoming troubled with part of the process, first make sure you yourself are not in breach of your contract. Don’t make excuses, don’t try to explain it away, especially if you have upheld your responsibilities. Then follow up with your client and refer to the part of the contract that addresses their concern.

DEADLINES
At the beginning of the project, he had set a timeline and had set deadlines. I met those deadlines as best as I could given the lapse in communication. Let’s take, for instance, his complaint that the process was moving too slow in comparison to the quick turnaround one might find with a logo mill. My clients agree to a certain timeline. If the client feels it is taking too long but is right on schedule, refer them to your timeline. One helpful phrase that I would use in this situation is, “I get that it’s a really involved process, and I’m glad you are eager to see your final product! I am excited for you to see it, too! Not to worry, everything is running on schedule and you will have your deliverables by the 28th!” (Or whatever date you set as your deadline.)

SCOPE CREEP
Tyler never had any “creepy” requests. Scope creep is when the client begins requesting other services/deliverables outside of what was agreed upon in the contract. This is sometimes a way for a client to sneak some things in for free, but it’s not uncommon for a client to be willing to pay and just not understand that a new contract needs to be signed for those items. Many people come to me and say, “I’ve never worked with a designer before, I have no idea what I’m doing.” So, scope creep isn’t always as insidious as trying to get extra things for free. Always give your clients this grace, because while there are a lot of jerks out there who want free work, most clients aren’t like that. Take the opportunity to educate your client. After that, if they keep pushing, refuse to sign a new contract, or are dodging the topic of payment for those tasks, then refer them to the contract.

SATISFACTION-BASED PAY
When you signed your contract changes are you agreed to a certain price. Tyler didn’t feel like he was getting his money’s worth. Part of the reason is that he likely didn’t read his contract. Because he was unsatisfied, he felt that the contract was void. Here’s the thing: contracts aren’t bound by satisfaction or feelings. It sounds harsh, but you can’t bail on a contract and ghost a vendor just because you didn’t like what they produced. Tyler’s problem was that his ideas of what he wanted were vague, and when he clarified them, they weren’t what he wanted. In short, he didn’t actually know what he wanted.

Don’t let a client off the hook for remaining payment just because they aren’t satisfied. They are responsible for communicating to you what their needs and wants are. It’s better for something to take more time than have a client walk away unhappy. First, make sure you are not in breach of the contract (because then the right thing to do might actually be to let the client off the hook). This is key to setting any kind of boundary. Then see if the client is up for working with you to get them what they are looking for. If they are great. If not, and the client chooses to abandon the project, you need to have protections in place. I have a cancellation contract that they are required to sign so there is documentation that I didn’t just bail on the project. In addition, invoice them for any unpaid work, and charge a kill fee. I do this by calculating how far the retainer went, and charge hourly for anything beyond that. Really, you’re striking a deal with the client. In this situation, they aren’t being billed for the whole project, and you’re still getting paid. If the client is backing out after the project has been completed, you fulfilled all duties of the contract and you finished the project, bill for the full amount. What the client does with their deliverables is up to them. You still need to get paid. If I throw my coffee out the window, I shouldn’t expect a refund for that.

Boundaries are hard, especially when you’re venturing into small business ownership. Boundaries teach people how to treat you. If you have a client who intentionally doesn’t respect your boundaries, it’s okay to let them go as a client. It’s better to let them go and not have a repeat customer than have a repeat customer who is constantly seeking or gaining fodder for complaint. They teach your clients to take you seriously as a professional, respect you as a vendor, and value you as an expert.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:
Freelance Isn’t Free
Freelancer’s Union
#saynotospec — Zulu Alpha Kilo