Guaranteed Results

'Le client n'a jamais tort'
— César Ritz

When I write something, I guarantee that if the client isn’t happy the client doesn’t have to pay. On the other hand, if I haven’t heard back from a client for 30 days after writing a draft, then I send them the final invoice and expect payment. This means that if the client isn’t happy, I at least get one chance to fix the problem. A draft is exactly that — a draft — a reference point used to make adjustments. It’s one of the most valuable tools there is for getting great writing. That also makes it a critical piece of the project’s scope.

After almost 18 years in this business, well under 10% of my projects go beyond three drafts. Since all my projects are fixed price, the client never pays for more than one. And second drafts almost always take far less time than first drafts — and the third takes far less than the second, and so on.

Drafts are also a way to express legitimate differences in approach to a solution. But ultimately it’s the client’s who owns the solution. So, if I can’t revise a draft to the client’s satisfaction then that’s my problem. (And it’s the client who gets to decide how many drafts are “reasonable.”)

If, however, the client has decided to preempt the revision process altogether — even if it’s because the first draft was “way off” — then that is a change in scope. It’s like deciding to switch topics midway, or dropping the project entirely because the company decided to exit the business. It’s also the only time a first draft is a final draft — guaranteed.