Sales and customers
How to say no to a client who asks for work outside the contract
Saying no to a client does not have to end the relationship if you show straight away what is possible. Name the request, say clearly that it is outside the current scope, and offer a path: a quote, a swap or a later date. Every free favor becomes the new standard.
How to handle this conversation
Decline the request, not the client
“I understand this matters for Friday. It goes beyond what is in our contract, so I will not be doing it as part of the current project.”
Offer an alternative right away
“I can send you a quote by tomorrow morning, or we can swap it for one of the items we have not started yet. Which works better?”
Do not justify the cost
A long explanation of how much work it takes invites negotiation. One sentence about scope and a proposal is enough.
Put it in writing
After the call, send a short summary: what stays in scope, what will be quoted and by when. It protects both sides from the next “while you are at it”.
I am saying no to out-of-scope work
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Duration
- 6-10 minutes
The situation
You are running a project for an important client under a contract with a defined scope. The client has already slipped in several small requests that were all done at no extra charge. Now they want an English version of all materials “while you are at it”, by Friday. It is several days of work that nobody will pay for.
Who you talk to
Client, head of marketing
Friendly and appreciates your work, but under pressure from her own boss. Says it is “just a quick thing”, reminds you how well you work together and hints that other suppliers are more flexible.
The counterpart also has private goals and information that are never shown upfront. You discover them only through the conversation, the same way you would in real life.
What makes it hard
- Earlier free favors have made the client see this as normal.
- She compares you with other, more flexible suppliers.
- The deadline is short and her boss’s pressure is being passed on to you.
Your goals
- Say clearly that the request is outside the current scope
- Offer at least one concrete alternative
- Keep the relationship and agree how such requests will be handled in future
What the report looks at
- Whether the no was direct, without apologies or long explanations
- Whether the alternative was concrete: a quote, a swap or a date
- How you handled the comparison with other suppliers
- Whether the call ended with an agreement for the future