Owning your Value as you Rescope Clients
When many of us think of rescoping client work, we think of it in the context of scope creep. In other words, we remember the pain of doing work without additional compensation. Instead, I want us to think of rescoping as a positive experience where you check-in with your team and clients to ensure everyone is aligned on budget, deadline, and scope of the project. As a matter of practicality, it’s a good idea to hold rescoping conversations when you conduct project retrospectives. This timing gives you an opportunity to course correct for future projects.
4 ways to rescope client work.
1. Scope of Compensation.
Sometimes you simply want to get your foot in the door with a new client, so you underprice your services. It was a strategic decision so no harm no foul. You tell yourself, “We needed the category experience.” However, you can only make that decision once or else they become a bad client. When you rescope this client, you must focus on maximizing revenue and/or profit.
2. Scope of Activities.
You may have spent more time on projects than originally scoped. The pain of over-servicing clients shows up in three ways: (1) reduced profitability, (2) team burnout, and (3) strain on other clients. You can mitigate team burnout by listening to your team members when they express concerns about excess time spent on any one client. By reassessing your scope of activities, you can make sure that you are spending your team’s time and resources effectively.
3. Scope of Expertise.
Your service offerings may have changed since your initial scope. This usually shows up when you decide to reduce pass through costs going through your agency. Clients get comfortable using your agency as a bank for media purchases or any other out-of-pocket costs. When you stop floating these costs for your clients (because it’s not usually worth the risk), you must communicate that your service offerings have changed. You can now spend your time focusing on your expertise and not being a third-party reseller. This arrangement will not only benefit the client, but it will also benefit your agency. It is okay to come back to the table with clients and let them know it’s time to hand them over to another professional who enjoys delivering the services that they need.
4. Scope of Success.
Confirm that you and your client have the same definition of success moving forward. Learning and adapting will always be a part of agency/creative work. Whether you can tie success to a financial metric, or the measurement of success is a little more abstract — it’s always healthy to leave room for you and/or your clients to come back to the table when it feels like your definition of success may differ.
Learn more
These rescope conversations can be tough to navigate. If you’re curious to learn more about how to open a dialogue, how to format your rescope meetings, what questions to ask during those meetings, and how to make them go as smoothly as possible, be sure to check out episode 2 of the Creative Friction podcast on all your favorite streaming platforms!