the artist's J.D.

1 day ago

|

3 min read

🦅 Avoid the same client emails + set aligned communication expectations + your weekly roundup

POSTSLINKS

Hi Reader!

The past few months, I’ve been wrapping up the last MCLEs I needed for my bar license renewal.

And one of the sessions I attended was on client communication. Because it’s something all service providers need reminders about.

There were two big themes of the session:

  • bad news doesn’t get better with time
  • you need to set communication expectations that align with the work

Both of these were lessons I noted early on in my “Stuff I’ll Never Do Again” book.

The first is obvious: if you have bad news to tell a client, delaying it won’t improve things. (And in some cases, it will make it worse because the client thinks you are trying to hide things from them.)

The second one isn’t as obvious. But setting these expectations early will help create a smoother working relationship, save both sides stress and worry, and keep everyone’s inbox a little saner.

For example, when I’m working with a client on a contract negotiation, I set the expectation that I’ll update you within one business day of talking to the other side. Because I want to keep the momentum going.

But when I’m helping someone with a trademark, I set the expectation that the USPTO won’t take any action on their application for months. And so they should assume that everything is progressing as planned unless I tell them otherwise for the first several months. (I give them an exact number of months in the email based on the current USPTO processing times.)

After that, I tell them I’ll pop in every month or so with a no movement email or an update. I send these quick emails right after I check the USPTO database, and they make the client feel like I’m looking out for them, even if there isn’t any progress.

👉 Your action item

Take a few minutes to brainstorm the communication expectations you want clients to have, depending on the project. And then for each current project, decide if you need to send a quick “check-in” email to establish those communication expectations.

Did you complete this task? Hit reply and share your thoughts.

If you only have 20 minutes this week, the task above is the most important thing to do. But if you have a little more time, keep reading.

Chat soon,

The clause to notice

One small section of a contract that can have an outsized impact later.

This week’s clause: Notices

What happens when you need to officially communicate changes or issues to your client? That’s where the notices clause comes into play. It explains how “formal” communications can be sent and where they need to go.

One pro tip: Your contract might allow you to send notices multiple ways: email, project management software, mail, or courier. And when you have multiple options, I always tell clients to match the method to the situation.

If everyone is on good terms and you are doing a simple contract amendment, then email is absolutely the right call. But if the client has been ignoring your payment emails or invoices and you are terminating the contract, that’s when sending via certified mail or using a courier like FedEx is appropriate.

The Notices section of the Contract Decoder got added this week. If you are negotiating a contract right now, it’s there to make sure you know signing that contract is a good decision for your business.

LATEST VIDEO

Set client expectations so your projects run smoothly

Learn the three client expectation frameworks experienced creatives use to keep projects predictable, not drifting based on client whims.

Other things on my radar...

Protect the business you’ve worked so hard to build

Each Friday, get a focused, jargon-free legal task, designed for creative entrepreneurs who want to protect their ass(ets) without legal confusion. No fluff, no overwhelm. Each one takes 15–30 minutes and helps you handle what matters, without wasting time on what doesn’t.

Read next ...