6 Easy Steps to Limit Your Client Revisions

“… people in the newspaper industry saw the web as newspaper. People in TV saw the web as TV, and people in book publishing saw it as a weird kind of potential book. But the web is not just some kind of magic all-absorbing-meta-medium. It’s its own thing.”

– Paul Ford

We creative professionals have encountered countless pesky clients that want to control the project. Whether it is by asking a lot of revisions, or just by simply telling you do redo the whole thing. It is annoying, and we all want alleviate the stress, the burden, but how? Don’t despair fellow colleague, we are here to make your work day better!

We have put our great minds together and we have come up with 6 easy steps to limit your client revisions. It is going to take some work on your behalf, but you will get there. Stop worrying and read these easy steps.

1. Develop a healthy relationship with your client

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It is important to actually get to know your client, so you get a good sneak peek at how he really is. Knowing your client better can really put things in perspective, and you will surely know in what direction the project will go. Knowing your client better will make you work less – meaning less revisions, less talks about the project.

All in all, if you just want to do the project as soon as possible, and get paid quickly, you are setting up yourself for a tremendous amount of stress, and deadline panics. Yes, we know, it can be really hard to get into socializing with your clients, but it will definitely benefit you both. Your client will have a great project, and you will grow as a creative professional. And hey, recommendations don’t grow on trees.

2. Try to educate your client about what a revision truly is

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Don’t get the idea wrong, revisions are a crucial part of your project. You should know by now that designing something has its phases, were if you want to get pass them, you need to get some feedback from your client. But isn’t it better to explain these phases from the get-go to your client?

He will very well forget about them, and do the opposite of what you explained to him at the first meeting, but it won’t hurt to remind him once in a while of them. Try to be clearly and concise about respecting the phases of design – try to  use the utmost diplomacy every single time, and don’t crack under the stress. You will get pass this also!

3. Set boundaries, and define how many revisions are included in the standard fee

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I can’t stress this enough. You need to be transparent how many revisions are included in your standard fee. It will solve so many problems for you, that will surely come up with a pesky client. Explaining how much work gets in the standard fee from the beginning will clear up all the confusion that it will inevitable appear.

Don’t just explain it to the client, but be smart enough to put it in the legal contract that you both sign. There. No more misunderstandings, no conflict whatsoever.

4. Keep the client informed of changes

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Keeping the client informed with changes that you have made to the project will make him seek less revisions. Of course, this isn’t a guarantee, but it may work with some of your client, and really you have nothing to lose here. It will not only help you to manage your time accordingly, but it will give the client all the information he needs for the current phase of the project.

Also, remind him how many times a revision has occurred on the project. This way, you will never face confusion about how many reworks your client is entitled to.

5. Show goodwill and flexibility, but don’t let it get into the clients head

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Showing goodwill will definitely earn you trust marks from your client. If the client doesn’t trust you, and new clients tend to be really nervous in a first collaboration, your journey will not be a smooth one, and it only go downhill from there. Working a little bit extra without no pay comes a long way, but do that only if you feel it is the right thing to do, not if the client asks you.

Don’t be a pushover, and stand up to your legal contract if you see things are getting out of hand. Also, try to be flexible with your client. Being a freelancer doesn’t really tell much about how you really work. Clients, and trust me this is incredibly true, have absolutely no idea about your work schedule. They will call you at any hours, in any day, asking you about the work done. Try to explain to them what they ask for, and also explain them your schedule.

6. Design is subjective

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Keep this in mind. Design is subjective. You may see your project and think it is the most beautiful design you have ever created. You will proudly show it to your client only to face utter rejection. Take it easy. Everyone has different tastes. That is why it is important to listen to the number one step in this list.

Another thing that you need to keep in mind is that your client will probably ask you to create something that you see it as the spawn of Satan. Design is subjective, don’t forget this. You have the option here, you can chose if you want to stick with your client that asks you to use neon color all over the website, or tell him to go on a hike – you don’t need that on your portfolio.

Hopefully, our steps can alleviate your problems a bit. Do you have any stories about clients from hell? Please post freely in the comments section below. We would love to hear them!