Welcome to the 73rd issue of Soloist Sundays, a bimonthly newsletter focusing on longevity, balance and success on your terms for independent consultants, creatives and freelancers.

I'm your writer and host, Matthew Fenton. Thank you for being here. Today's post is about a 5-minute read.

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And shout-out to Soloist Sundays reader Kendra Wright, who suggested today's topic. Kendra owns a full-service marketing agency in the finance space.

If you’ve been a soloist for more than about nine minutes, you’ve probably experienced scope creep.

That’s when a client, shall we say, stretches the boundaries of your working agreement.

It can sound like:

“Since you’re already doing X, could you also throw in Y?”

“Something’s come up, and we need to change our approach.”

“When you said you’d deliver X, I thought you meant X+.”

“I know I declined that thing in the proposal, and I signed off on a scope that doesn’t include it, but now I’m asking for exactly that thing.”

In all cases, there’s no mention of compensating you for the additional value you’re being asked to provide.

What do you do when confronted with scope creep? I’m a strategist by trade and training, so it won’t surprise you that my answer is “it depends.” (We strategists are awful that way.)

But let’s start by looking at how we can prevent scope creep in the first place.

Fighting Scope Creep Before the Gig Begins

One of our challenges, as independent consultants and creatives, is that our outputs can be difficult to define.

What exactly is a marketing plan? A competitive audit? A positioning statement? A PR engagement?

As clearly as I can say it: If you and your client have differing views of the outputs, that’s on you.

The client will always choose an interpretation that’s most favorable for them. And, quite reasonably, they don’t like unpleasant surprises. So take the responsibility to clearly define the outputs before the work begins.

Your statement of work should clarify:

Deliverables

Detail exactly what the outputs will include. If it’s a social media plan, what are its elements? If it’s an editing project, what are the parameters?

Whenever possible, share a redacted example, a blank template, or a list of key steps. Even if you thought you aligned on the outputs during the selling process, include it as an appendix in the statement of work, just to be safe.

Revisions

Unending revisions can torpedo your effective hourly rate and exhaust both parties. Don’t let that happen.

Set a cap on the number of rounds of revisions. The industry standard is two. More than that, and you’re inviting a drawn-out, unfocused discussion.

Timing

In a professional relationship, both parties have a responsibility to hit their deadlines. If the client drags their heels, that shouldn’t create an overtime situation for you.

In the statement of work, establish the necessary windows; for example, “All feedback must be received within five business days of presentation.”

And when I share a project timeline, it always includes this line: “Delays in any step will necessarily result in delays in future steps.” They’ve been warned.

Your All-Purpose Safety Clause

Once you’ve clearly defined your deliverables, there’s one more thing I want you to add to your proposals.

Include this statement in the appropriate place (usually at the end of the deliverables section):

Any work not explicitly stated above is out of scope and will be dealt with under a separate agreement.

Kapow! You now have a firm leg to stand on if things get a little hinky.

That’s the pre-gig foundation. We’ve defined what’s in and what’s out, and the client has signed off. Now let’s deal with scope creep in real-time.

Managing Scope Creep During the Gig

By covering your bases before the gig, you’ve given yourself leverage.

If the client tries to scope-creep on you, you can stick to the letter of the agreement, or not, as you see fit.

Here are the three factors I consider:

1. The nature of the relationship.

My favorite clients often get free thinking from me, because I value those relationships. But that’s a right that should be earned – not assumed by the client.

If we’ve worked together for a while, and they’ve been good about scope-creep, I won’t get my boxers in a bunch over a small request.

If they’re a new-ish client, I’ll be keeping score. The first or second small request may not be a big deal. By the third, I’ll be pointing out that I’ve already been the hero twice, and we need to discuss compensation.

A decent human will recognize that. If not, I won’t be accepting the new ask, and I won’t be working with this client again.

“Death by a thousand scope-creeps” leads us to our next factor…

2. The size of the new ask relative to the size of the project.

“Can you add 15 more discovery interviews to our agreed-upon list of ten?”

That is, effectively, what one client actually asked me.

Had it been three more interviews, no big deal. But 15 more is two days of my time, and I have to account for that – either by reducing scope elsewhere or (my preference) sending a second invoice.

In general, though, if the new ask is less than about 10% of my budgeted time on a small project, or 5% on a large one, I won’t sweat it. Once. And I’ll make sure they know I’m doing them a favor: “This is out of scope, but I’d be happy to make a one-time exception for you.”

(If you've included a cushion in your pricing - as you should - then this is exactly what that cushion is for.)

If it’s more time than that, sharpen your pencil and make a case for additional compensation.

3. The value you can deliver as part of the new ask.

Sometimes you can deliver a ton of value to the client for a small chunk of your time. Do it.

“But what about value-based pricing?” Don’t worry about that now. Better to win the adoration of your client, especially if you’d like to work with them again.

If it’s high value and a big chunk of your time? That’s a new estimate. If they accept, you’ve won incremental revenue. If they decline, you don’t invest the time. Either way, you win.

During one project, the head of the client’s business unit decided he wanted to add a half-day on-site workshop. That’s a big chunk of time, when you factor travel, pre- and post-work. So I quoted a fair fee, and the client readily accepted. Had they balked, I wouldn’t have budged either.

And if the new ask is of low value to the client and a big chunk of your time, explain to the client why it’s a bad idea for both parties. Good humans will respect that.

Scope Creep: Summing Up

Extreme advice doesn’t work here. “Never allow scope creep” will torch good relationships. “Always allow scope creep” will torch your hourly rate.

It’s your responsibility to uphold your boundaries. This begins with clarity before the gig kicks off. It continues with strategic decisions when scope creep occurs.

Factor the nature of the relationship, the size of the ask and the value you’re providing. Make the best long-term decision you can. Apply what you learn to future gigs.

And remember: Scope creep is a temporary condition. It happens, even with good clients. But if it happens repeatedly, that’s probably not a relationship worth continuing.

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Today Is the Day!

Matthew Fenton

Founder & Chief Soloist, Winning Solo​

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With 26 years as an independent consultant, I can work with you to improve just about any aspect of your freelance business. You can learn more about my coaching services here.

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