Tell it to me straight: do your clients repeatedly break through the boundaries you set, like Fred and George Weasley sneaking into the Forbidden Forest?
This has been a hot topic lately with so many of my clients. Setting boundaries is hard, getting your clients to stick to them can be even more difficult.
And the truth is setting boundaries in your business, while difficult, is one of the top ways to weed out red flags from the start and make sure you are working with people who you’re going to vibe with throughout your working relationship.
These days, I’m suggesting that all of my clients send an extra document when they start a new project that outlines their boundaries and ideal working relationship.
I like to call this document “Process + Contract Key Points” and it covers the most important parts of your contract – because contracts are long and no one ever reads the fine print.
By pulling out these extra details it forces your client to pay attention – and while this document alone doesn’t help enforce boundaries you’ll always be able to refer back to the document if a client steps over the line for you in your business.
Now you might be saying –- “hey, Christina, I send my clients so many documents already. How can I justify adding another one to my process?”
The truth is you are probably already sending too many documents 🙈 (and you might want to schedule a call with me to talk about it) but this particular one is SUPER important.
Why?
Because this extra document is an outline of how you agree to work with your clients which is essentially what a contract is, except as a society we usually skim contracts, sign them, and never look at or think about them again.
This document takes the small print and brings it to the forefront of your client’s attention, so they know exactly what’s included, how to contact you and when you’re available.
Setting Boundaries: Five pieces of information this Process + Key Points document should include:
➳ Your business hours.
➳ What is included and what’s not included in the package provided.
➳ The best what to communicate with you.
➳ An outline of what the client will need to provide to keep your project on time and on budget.
➳ How often you’ll be communicating with and/or billing your clients.
And here are two ways to add it to your client journey:
➳ Add it to the bottom of your existing contract with lines to initial next to each point. (This is super easy to do in Dubsado.)
➳ Add it as a sub-agreement that clients must sign prior to their project proceeding. (Also easy in Dubsado or software like Docusign).
Still not exactly how to get started? That’s okay – I’ve started this document for you. All you need to do is click this link to sign up for my mailing list — once you do you’ll be automatically redirected to download the document.
Once you’ve opened the document click “yes” to make a copy – then edit it for clarity within your own business and add it into your process wherever you see fit to help keep projects in line and make sure your clients are respecting the boundaries you set.
This is just one small step toward setting boundaries that help you feel empowered in your business, instead of feeling like you’re drowning in clients who don’t respect your time and hard work.
If you’re looking for more accountability so that you can feel confident AF when you take on a new project visit my home page and take a look at the options for working together.
There’s something for everyone – including a low ticket membership (Wandersoul Website Society) that is launching November 1, VIP days to get you on the right track FAST and long term online business management help so you are fully supported by me, your bold and kind accountability buddy.
