Creating Clear Agreements To Avoid Conflicts

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.

Consultants don’t typically lose money on the work they agreed to. They lose money on the work they never agreed to. That’s why assumptions in your Statement of Work are just as important as the scope itself. Here’s what I mean: A client drags their feet giving you system access → your timeline slips, but suddenly you’re “late.” Stakeholders ghost feedback for weeks → you’re stuck waiting, unpaid. You budget time for analysis, but they expect implementation → scope creep eats your margin. These things do happen. That’s why I build assumptions into every proposal. Real ones. Things like: Feedback comes back within 3 business days. I use my own equipment unless the client requires theirs for security purposes, then its at their cost. Work is remote unless they request travel, which is billed separately. Hours cap each month. When I hit 95%, I flag it so the client can reprioritize or approve more time. Deliverables are theirs once invoiced and paid. None of this is “fine print.” These are the ground rules that keep projects on track and protect your sanity. Consulting isn’t just about solving problems. It’s about making the conditions for success explicit before you start. I’m Melissa, I help businesses cut costs, reduce risk, and build procurement and contracts that actually work in the real world. What’s the one assumption you wish you’d written into a proposal that wasn't clear when you signed a contract? #Consulting #Contracts #BusinessEfficiency #RiskManagement #ScopeCreep

If you’re concerned that the tone of your client contract is “too serious,” you’re worried about the wrong thing. Business contracts don’t need to be “nice” they need to be clear. Clear terms help avoid miscommunications and misunderstandings. Clear terms position you as a consultant who leads clients. Clear terms trump emotional responses. Clear terms get you paid on time. Clear terms close sales. While I love poetry, the last thing you want your contract to do is be filled with similes, metaphors and double entendres that make clients guess what you’re trying to say all because you were trying to lighten things up. Leave that for the sales pages. And since we’re here this also includes changing words and phrases like “must” and “require” to something a little warmer so you don’t come off as demanding when those minor tweaks can have huge impact. I get that reading pages of legal jargon might not be fun, but risking 4-6 figures in business because of a loose contract is worse, no? If there’s any area of business you need to be serious in, it’s your consulting client contract. You can laugh and have fun with your clients AFTER their questions have been answered and the terms have been signed. And whatever you’re laughing about will be a good laugh because you’ve taken A LOT of worry and stress off the table not just for your client but for you too by simply having a well-put client contract together. Nobody likes a nervous laugh. 😅 If you want to enjoy doing business with your consulting clients, let’s get you a good contract. Here is how we’ll work together to create a consulting client contract tailored to your services and how you deliver them: 1. We’ll review your current contract for strengths, gaps and red flags which will help determine what we want to keep, fix and get rid of in your brand new contract. 2. Then we’ll review your offer and fine-tune it to make sure it has the utmost clarity for you and your client. 3. We’ll discuss your good and bad client experiences to help us revise your client policies for a better client experience, and if you’re missing policies we’ll create them. 4. Draft a newly tailored consulting contract and take our time to do a line by line review to make sure you understand what it means and that it meets your needs. 5. After a couple of review rounds, you’ll get your finalized contract and have 30 days of Q & A support while you implement your contract. Bonus: If you have a team that manages your clients and contracts, we can add in a team workshop to make sure they too understand how to use the new contract when onboarding and working with new clients. The investment for a tailored consulting client contract is $6,500. Message me with questions or book a call with the link in the comments to move forward.