Unpopular take: I used to always accept rushed deadlines from clients thinking it made me look professional, but after a graphic design gig last spring where the client changed the scope 3 times in 48 hours and I ended up working for $12 an hour, now I just say no to any deadline under 72 hours no matter what they promise.

Has anyone else found that pushing back on those last-minute timeline changes actually earns you more respect from clients in the long run or am I just lucky so far?

3 comments

3 Comments

angela72811d ago

Respectfully, I see it differently - rushing builds bad habits for both sides.

william_craig710d ago

Bad habits for both sides" is a solid point @angela728.

henryr4510d ago

Back in 2019 I had a web client that kept adding "one tiny thing" at 10pm every night for a week straight. Eventually I told them flat out that if they wanted changes after 5pm, theyd have to pay a rush fee that was 50% more than my normal rate. They actually respected it and stopped the late night requests. I found that having a clear cutoff time and sticking to it works way better than trying to be the yes person. When you let clients know your boundaries up front, the serious ones will work with you on timing instead of against you. What kind of system have you set up for handling those last minute scope changes?