Too many times I’ve seen people promise the moon to get the client. I’m guilty of it myself. For me, it was most common in the beginning. While I was bending the rules a little, it was just me and it wasn’t that hard to accommodate so no big deal right? As I grew though, it became harder and harder to manage these clients. Let’s talk through an example. When I first started I had clients all over the city. I gave most of them a 2 hour window for arrival. A couple had a narrower window like an hour, especially if they were out of town. Not a big deal. But I had one client who basically wanted a 15 minute window. When I first started with them, that was easy, but as my client list grew and spread across the city, it became more and more challenging. I ended up in a cycle of being late, promising I’d do better, then being completely unable to do better. All of us were frustrated because we all had different expectations. I was able to get them to agree to a 30 minute window as their dog was on quite a few meds and really couldn’t hold it for long. I hired someone so we could split the city in half and everything went pretty smoothly for the remainder of that pooch’s time with us.
That was when I learned that a time frame of less than an hour was not only impractical, but impossible. Now we almost exclusively offer 2 hour windows though we will occasionally make exceptions for puppies or pets who are waiting over night for us to come. This premise goes from something like a dog walking window all the way up to the highest level software development. If the client is asking for something you can’t provide, whether it’s the product or service itself, the pricepoint, or the timeline etc, be honest. Promising something you know you can’t deliver is only going to result in an unhappy customer. If by some miracle you do get it done, you will likely have unhappy employees because they just killed themselves to finish a project because you promised something wildly out of bounds. There’s a huge difference between being a team player and pushing yourself to the brink for a delusional boss. Most people will tolerate it once or twice, but not for long.
There are, of course, exceptions to every rule. If you think a project could kick your business up a notch and that it’s feasible but challenging, meet with your team. Explain to them what’s going on (ideally before you’ve committed) and show them how doing this will improve the business and their lives. Every project can’t be this project, it has to be one that will truly make the difference.
Finally, don’t be afraid to say no. This is probably the hardest part, especially if you’re just getting started. Turning down a paying customer is tough, but if what they’re asking isn’t what you do, don’t try to do it. You’ll inevitably do a poor job and have to explain yourself to your client. They will likely never recommend you to anyone and may actively discourage people from using you. If they want something done at an unreasonable price, say no. Your prices are the way they are because that’s what it costs. Explain to them any discount options you offer, perhaps show them what you could do at that price point but don’t give in. You need to be able to pay yourself and pay your people and that’s OK.
Remember, setting clear and specific expectations will save you and your client a lot of headaches down the line.