My usual M.O. in working with clients is documenting calls, ensuring we are on the same page.

Recently, I had a phone conference with a long-term client. The purpose of the call was a discussion of content for their quarterly newsletter.

We have worked together on a number of projects, including the newsletter that is in its second year. So, I figured I had this one covered.

Score One for Guilt

The lazy, little devil sitting on my shoulder assured me that it wasn’t necessary to do a follow-up confirmation. This is one time I was glad I have such a heavy guilt screamer.

I smacked down the lazy, little  devil and sent my usual documentation. Turns out, the client was on a similar page, but it translated a bit differently from my version.

Same Page Insurance

No matter if it’s a new client or one you’ve had a long time, sometimes you hear things differently. Simple documentation saves you grief down the road. Here is what I included in the follow-up to the newsletter project:

• The topics for the feature article and three smaller articles
• The approximate word count for each
• A description of documentation the client was responsible for sending
• A deadline for receipt of that information
• The delivery date for the finished newsletter
• A statement that the delivery date assumes receipt of the requested information by the deadline

The client advised that she did not want a full article on one of the planned smaller articles (just a brief mention), and added a different article in its place.

Perhaps she merely changed her mind when she saw it in writing. Whatever the reason, it is, after all, their newsletter.

The Moral of the Story

The follow-up took very little time – an email with eight bullet points. In the end, it helped me deliver what the client wanted. 

Simple confirmation helps with all forms of business communication. Whether it’s follow-up documentation or a formal contract, it pays to ignore that lazy, little devil. Keep you and your client on the same page.

What tips do you have?