Over the last few weeks, I’ve been finalizing all the details for Summit. At the event, I taught a very select group of designers exactly how to get a budget from a client every single time. Once you have that budget, you can call out a design fee based on it. Then, you can run the job according to the number of hours you sold, which is the key to the whole thing.
You don’t want to overspend those hours so that you can end up with the profit and timeline you’re after. And that’s what I want to share with you today.
I recently wrote a Letter of Agreement that has a lot of boundaries in it. Getting the job to run on the amount of time you sold is all about setting boundaries with your client and establishing them very clearly from the beginning.
I want to share a piece that I have added to our Letter of Agreement form. This clause is for additional services, which should be included in every contract.
Watch the video above to get all the details and how you can set up clear rules with your clients around how you work. If a client decides to change something last minute, it shouldn’t be up to you to absorb that time because it’s out of your scope of work.
With a Letter of Agreement that clearly states what happens if changes are made, you can discuss those details with your clients. Then, if a client requests a change, you can point to the agreement and state that more hours will be charged or that you have to start over.
When you have these details written out ahead of time, it becomes much easier to stand your ground and stick to your boundaries. Here at IDBA, we call that “holding your shape.” You don’t get pushed around, squished or shrunk, because a client wants something new or different.
You’ll be amazed how well clients follow the rules when you actually set them, and it works really nicely.
We just wrapped up an incredible Summit! If you were unable to attend but want to learn more about design fees and Letters of Agreement, now is a great time to schedule a clarity call with one of our coaches. It’s a fun, free call, and you’ll learn the best next steps for your design business.
Until next time, design something beautiful and get paid what you’re worth.