Communicating Expectations For Client Deliverables

Over the past 20 years in market research, many project issues I've seen stem from mismanaging client expectations. Whether you work for a research firm, an agency, a consultancy, or any other business that involves regular client discussions, here are 4 pointers. 1️⃣ Communication—Regularly communicate, candidly ask the client how often they want updates, and never let a week go by without touching base, regardless of the project stage. Anticipate questions and answer them before they ask. A client sending an email asking, "What's the status of...?" is a failure on your end - within reason. Lack of responsiveness leads to mistrust, even more micromanagement, skepticism, and other issues that can be snuffed out by communicating openly. 2️⃣ Be Realistic—We all want to say "yes" to clients, but there are often ways to showcase your experience and expertise by being honest about what can be achieved with a given timeline and budget. The expectation could be a lack of understanding about the process or industry norms. Underpromise and overdeliver versus overpromise and underdeliver. Those honest conversations may appear inflexible, but they're often more about setting expectations and setting up both parties for long-term sustainable success. Saying "no" to this project could be a better long-term decision for the account than saying "yes" and failing with no second chance. 3️⃣ Understand Perspective—Take the time to actively listen to your client's needs, goals, and priorities. It goes beyond listening and includes asking smart (and sometimes bolder) questions to get a complete understanding. What drove the need for research? Why is receiving results within 2 weeks crucial? What happens if you don't receive results in 2 weeks? Understanding what's pushing the decisions behind the scenes can be a game changer. 4️⃣ Solutions Over Problems—Never present a problem or an issue to a client without a path forward. "This happened, but here are 3 things we can do to fix it." You need to be more than someone who relays information, you need to be a true consultant. Be able to justify each recommendation and explain the pros and cons of each path. -------------------------------------- Need MR advice? Message me. 📩 Visit @Drive Research 💻  1400+ articles to help you. ✏️ --------------------------------------

My recent work for a new client inspires today’s Tuesday Tip. This client is totally brilliant and usually business-savvy. Yet, she constantly encounters problems with her clients about the scope of the services she is supposed to perform for them. When I looked at a few of her contracts, I saw the problem immediately: she defined the scope of her services too broadly, which confused her clients and did not manage expectations. Let’s take a look at the language she was using: 🚫 Too Broad: "Service Provider agrees to perform consulting services as needed for the Client." 👉 Why This Is Problematic: This clause is vague and leaves the door wide open for misunderstandings. What kind of consulting services? How often? What deliverables are expected? Broad language like this creates significant risk for scope creep, unmet expectations, and even disputes. Instead, I drafted some different language for her to use: ✅ Specific and Clear: "Service Provider agrees to provide up to 10 hours in the next 2 months, starting on the date of this Agreement, of business strategy consulting, including: (1) developing a written quarterly business plan for next quarter; (2) a Zoom call advising on the current quarter's written marketing strategy provided by Client; and (3) reviewing next quarter financial projections with feedback provided in writing." 👉 Why This Works: This clause clearly outlines: Scope: What services will (and won’t) be performed. Limitations: Time is capped at 10 hours for two months. Expectations: Deliverables and required client actions (e.g., written, via Zoom) are defined. By being specific, both parties know exactly what’s included, which minimizes confusion, protects you from being overburdened, and reduces the risk of disputes. 💡 Pro Tip: The clearer your contracts, the more professional and trustworthy you appear—and the better protected you’ll be. Take the time to get it right, or work with someone who knows how to do it for you. *For educational purposes. Does not constitute legal advice.

Monday Minute: Level-Setting Expectations – Deliverables Edition Last week, we discussed setting expectations when seeking help or advice. This week, let’s focus on setting expectations around deliverables—whether you’re requesting a task or being asked to complete one. Deliverables, big or small, can sometimes not go as planned, not because of a lack of effort, but because expectations weren’t clear from the start. That’s where level-setting expectations comes in. Here are three key things to lock in from the beginning: 1️⃣ What: Be specific about what is being delivered. Is it a report? A presentation deck? A recommendation? Avoid vague requests like “give me something”. Clarity eliminates confusion. 2️⃣ When: Agree on a timeline that works for everyone. Is it due by end of day Friday or first thing Monday morning? Be precise and realistic—rush jobs lead to missed details, and vague deadlines lead to misalignment. 3️⃣ How: Define how the work should be done or delivered. Should it follow a specific format? Should it be reviewed by someone else first? Should it be shared via email or uploaded to a shared drive? The “how” reduces friction and rework. Whether you're the asker or the doer, level-setting expectations is crucial. It saves time, reduces stress, and builds trust. #MondayMinute #MondayMotivation #ProfessionalDevelopment #EffectiveListening #Professional #GoalSetting #Motivation #CareerAdvice #SetExpectations

Your agency's client churn problem isn't a fulfillment issue. It's an onboarding issue. After working with hundreds of agencies through Client Ascension, I've noticed something shocking: Most client churn happens in the first couple of months. And it rarely has anything to do with results. It comes down to a broken onboarding system. Here's the client onboarding framework we use at our agency that has significantly reduced our churn: Our EXPECTATION LADDER SYSTEM PHASE 1: PRE-CONTRACT (Before They Sign) Most agencies oversell and under-deliver. I do the opposite. On the sales call, I deliberately UNDERPROMISE: "Just to be clear, you won't see significant results for at least 60 days. The first month is all about building the foundation. Are you comfortable with that timeline?" This sets a realistic expectation from day one and filters out clients who want overnight miracles. PHASE 2: THE WELCOME KIT (Day 0) The moment they sign, they receive our digital welcome kit: - A personalized welcome video (under 90 seconds) - A PDF roadmap showing exactly what happens in the first 90 days - Introduction to their dedicated account manager - Calendar invite for the kickoff call - Access to our client portal with pre-loaded resources The key: Everything is already prepared BEFORE they sign. There's zero delay between payment and initial value. PHASE 3: THE EXPECTATION LADDER (Day 1) The kickoff call follows a precise structure I call the "Expectation Ladder": 1) Restate their goals from the sales call 2) Break down the 90-day journey into 3 phases: - Days 1-30: Foundation building (what we're doing behind the scenes) - Days 31-60: Implementation (first visible actions) - Days 61-90: Optimization (when results should begin) 3) Set 3 "Early Win" metrics they'll see before major results - Schedule all recurring meetings for the next 90 days This structure prevents the dreaded "what's happening?" questions in week 3. PHASE 4: WEEKLY MICRO-DELIVERABLES (Weeks 1-8) Even if your main deliverable takes time, create weekly micro-deliverables that show progress: -Weekly email summarizing work completed -Screenshots of behind-the-scenes setup -Data collection progress -Small optimizations already implemented These micro-wins build trust and patience for the bigger results. PHASE 5: THE 30/60/90 DAY REVIEWS Structured reviews at days 30, 60, and 90 that follow the exact same format: - What we promised - What we delivered - What we learned - What's next The consistency of this format builds confidence in your process. This system has been implemented across dozens of agencies in different niches. Feel free to use it for your agency too!

Most coaches think:   “If I deliver results, the client will be happy.” But that’s not always true. Because success is subjective.   It depends on what the client thought would happen. Here’s the real formula for client satisfaction:   Expectations – Reality = Happiness If you promise too much and reality falls short, they’re disappointed. Even if you delivered a great result. If you set realistic expectations and beat them, they’re thrilled. Even if the progress was slower than they hoped. That’s why the first step in client success isn’t delivery.   It’s alignment. Here’s the 3-step process we use to create happy clients inside Opny: 1/ Align Sales and Success · Clients get frustrated when salespeople sell a dream, but client success delivers something else. · Before onboarding, confirm outcomes, timelines, and fit.  · Make sure they know exactly what they signed up for. 2/ Set Clear Expectations · Don’t assume they understand the process. Tell them what to expect at every stage. · Explain what success looks like and how long it’ll take. · The clearer you are, the less confusion there is later. 3/ Show Progress Often · Most clients forget how far they’ve come. Remind them. · Celebrate small wins. · Track milestones. · Reinforce the transformation they’re going through. Happy clients don’t happen by accident.   They happen when expectations and delivery align. Your results don’t matter if your clients don’t feel them.   Make sure they see it. Believe it. Own it. That’s how you build loyalty.   That’s how you scale. Are you using this system in your business yet? Reshare ♻️ to help others who need to hear this. And follow me for more posts like this.