Finally said no to rush shipping and yes to a buffer day

I had a client drop a rush job on me Wednesday night saying they needed it by Friday noon. My gut said take the extra $50 for overnight delivery and grind it out. But I remembered the last time I did that the prints showed up with a scratch across the cover. So I told them I could do Friday at 5pm if they let me use regular ground shipping and gave me a 24 hour buffer for proofing. They actually agreed. The files went out clean at 4:47pm and I didnt have to stay up until 3am. Has anyone else had luck pushing back on fake urgent deadlines?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_drew3d ago

I saw a productivity blog mention that most "urgent" deadlines are just poor planning by the client, not actual emergencies. Sounds like you proved that theory right.

the_hayden3d agoMost Upvoted

Three years as a freelance designer taught me that when someone says "I need this by 5pm today" it usually means they just realized they forgot to tell you last week. I always ask for the real deadline first and nine times out of ten it's at least two days later.

angela7283d ago

That buffer day trick is basically the secret password to not losing your mind. I've had more "life or death" deadlines suddenly become flexible when I countered with a slightly later time and no rush fee. Half the time they just need to check a box on their end and the urgency disappears like magic.