A healthy client relationship is all about establishing realistic expectations and creating boundaries that allow each of you to stay in your zone of genius. You don’t need clients to ring you up every day to make sure you’re staying on track, but your clients also have the right to know what they’re getting from their investment.

These are not conversations to have when your safe space has been breached. By then, it’s too late — the client has already crossed the line, even if they didn’t know it was there. Instead, you have to set realistic expectations and boundaries from the very start of the client experience — even before the ink has dried on the contract.

Of course, it’s not always an easy discussion to have with a prospective client. You want their business, but how can you get them to book when you’re focusing on all of the things that can and cannot happen? Shouldn’t you be selling them the dream that’s already in their head so they’ll be ready to bite?

Absolutely not! If you don’t nip those unrealistic ideations in the bud, they will come to haunt you later. It’s better for all parties to lay out expectations from the beginning.

Here’s how you can do just that without offending or turning off potential and existing clients.

Discuss it in your intake call.

A great way to establish expectations and boundaries early and effectively is to start from the first consultation. You don’t need to dive into a whole spiel about rules (it’s just a lead!), but you may mention when your office hours or that you don’t take meetings on weekends. That way, you will set the tone for the rest of your working relationship.

If you hear their grand plans and realize it’s unrealistic with their budget, gently educate them about costs and suggest a few alternatives. Consultation calls are not for hashing out every detail for them, but rather demonstrating your expertise and how you can bring their vision to life. 

You might not be official yet, but you can still set attainable expectations for their project so they don’t feel let down later when things don’t go as planned.

Reiterate it in your proposal.

When you send a proposal, it’s your chance to lay out all of your rules, procedures, and expectations for the project. What does the timeline look like? How will you communicate? What would success look like? 

I recommend adding a page or a section to the beginning of your proposal that outlines all of the boundaries and guidelines of working with you. People have a tendency to skim after reading a few pages, so make sure it’s one of the first pages they see! 

Since it’s all out in writing, it opens up the opportunity for your client to reach out and ask questions before moving onto the contract stage. 

Detail it in your contract.

Your contract is where you make it real. When your new client signs their contract, they aren’t just agreeing to your payment terms and deliverables — they are also saying “yes” to all of the expectations and boundaries set in your contract. 

Be sure to include everything that you require for a healthy, collaborative relationship. If there are certain stages in which you can’t move forward without your client’s input, define their role as clearly as possible. Otherwise, you might find a disappointed client wondering why you’re not on time while you were waiting on them all the while!

The beauty of including all of your parameters in your contract is that it’s a binding agreement. Once they sign, you will always have that document to pull up if they cross a certain boundary or toss out some unrealistic expectations. Their signature is your ticket to protecting your business.

Be patient, but firm.

Now, let’s not forget that we are all human — including our clients. They will make mistakes and, in some cases, toe the line with your boundaries. You don’t need to jump to disciplinary actions if somebody calls you outside of your office hours, but you might escalate the situation if it happens more than once. Needless to say, you should always have a discussion with your client if you feel disrespected at any point.

However, I generally recommend a two- or three-strike policy. You can gently remind them about your boundaries and expectations a couple of times, but if it continues to be a problem, then you will need to put your foot down. More often than not, a one-on-one discussion tends to solve the problem.

But, if it’s clear that you cannot win over a client’s respect, then it may be time to consider letting them go and dissolving the contract. Your sanity and self-esteem is worth more than a paycheck, so don’t be afraid to walk away. It just means they weren’t the right client and that you can fill their place with someone who does value what you offer!

Struggling to speak up and voice yourself with clients? You don’t have to feel like you’re alone. Reach out to Jen and she’ll help you create a structure that protects your boundaries without taking away from the client experience.

Jennifer Taylor is the principal of Jen Taylor Consulting, a consulting firm that works with creative businesses of all sizes to implement streamlined workflows and organized systems to find more time and space for business growth and personal development.