Let’s talk about scope creep and boundaries today, specifically around monthly paying clients.
If you’re new to the lingo…
Scope creep = doing more for your client than they’re paying you for.
There could absolutely be a good reason for allowing yourself to endure scope creep for a client, like experimenting with a new service level, strategy for a future pricing / package change, general good-heartedness.
There is nothing wrong with scope creep if you do it with intention and feel good about it before, during, and after the creep.
But…if you don’t have the time and capacity for the scope, don’t feel good about it, and the only reason you’re doing it is because you’re afraid to put up a boundary, well…that’s a different story.
Here’s my Scope Creep of the Week:
A client on my maintenance subscription* (i.e., client pays $50/mo just to keep QBO connected under my firm, we don’t do any work on the account until they upgrade) asks if they can “grab time” with me to find out if their “basics are in order” and if they need to pay quarterly taxes. (Spoiler alert: none of this is included in the maintenance-level subscription.)
And, personally, I don’t have the time and capacity for the extra unpaid work right now, and I was very clear with the client about what the maintenance-level subscription included and didn’t include when they downgraded.
So, here was my response:
Might this upset the client? Maybe? I tried to word this kindly but professionally.
Might this upset me if I instead did the work for free?
Definitely.
Hope this helps,
Erica
*You can read more about why I started this subscription level here
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