The late, great Gary Halbert once wore a hat at a seminar that had “Clients Suck” written on it. Mind you, the seminar was for his clients.

While I disagree with Mr. Halbert’s sentiment, most clients are great to work with; if you don’t set the ground rules beforehand, you will have a miserable experience.

Setting expectations and laying ground rules at the beginning of the relationship is mission-critical.

It would be best if you let clients know what you will do, when you will do it, what to expect, and what not to expect. (By the way, you need to do this in any service business, not just if you’re a consultant.)

For example, it is important to lay out your communication ground rules. If not, you will end up with a client who believes you’re at your beck and call. It would be best to tell them how they will work with you.

“Mary, here’s what’s going to happen. In three days, I’m going to send you the timeline for the project. (You should have agreed upon this in advance as well.)  I will send you the deliverables based on this timeline, provided you get me everything I need by the agreed-upon date. I am working on multiple projects, and yours is important to me, so any delays will set us back and delay your project.

After you receive the deliverables, you will need to review them and make notes on changes you want to discuss. On [date] at [time], we will get on the phone and discuss those changes. By the end of that call, we will agree on any modifications we need to make.

I will then make those modifications and return them to you on [date] as outlined in the timeline. Any further adjustments will need to be made by your team.”

Having that type of clarity around all aspects of the project you’re working on for a client. Not only will you be happier, but so will your client.

Kick butt, make mucho DEEnero!

Dave, “Most Clients Are Cool” Dee