Eventually, it will happen. Someone is going to balk at the notion of having to sign your Client Services Agreement.

“What? Don’t you trust me?”

“Dude. Why so serious?”

“I’m not sure this is going to work anymore.” 

“I don’t want to sign something I don’t understand.”

“Can’t we just skip this part?”

Do not back down, my hard-working fellow entrepreneur! This is a test of how much you value your work. This is not a test of your people-pleasing skills, and your Client Services Agreement is not about getting people to like you.

You do value your work and want to protect it, don’t you?

And you’re not willing to please someone else if it means compromising your personal and business integrity, right?

You did answer “YES” to both questions, didn’t you?

When new clients come along and want to change our rules for how we do business, it’s good to have a plan in place for how to handle the situation in a way that maintains your integrity and educates the client. Planning ahead for potential obstacles will save you a boatload of time agonizing over what to say and do.

Here’s how to respond when someone says they don’t want to sign on the proverbial dotted line.  

“I completely understand, contracts can seem kinda scary. But I take great pride in the work I do for my clients and I take my work very seriously and I want to assure you that this agreement is for your benefit as well as mine. You’ll notice that in it I make promises to you and this agreement holds me to those promises. It also cover things like what to do if you need to cancel or reschedule an appointment.  So, although this agreement is standard business procedure, it’s also very practical.  If you have questions or need clarification, please let me know. Truth is, I’m excited to work with you and as soon as I receive your signed copy of the agreement we can get started.”

This is business, and the fear that you might lose a sale is not reason to compromise on best practices and expose yourself to liability.

This is a case where the customer is not always right.

Cover your assets online (and off).

Don’t have a Client Services Agreement? You can “do it yourself” HERE. 

It’s simply not wise to enter into a business arrangement with someone, no matter how temporary, without a contract that spells out the terms in writing. A CSA could very well save your ass(ets) one day