what is the most professional way to end things with a client?
July 7, 2020 6:35 AM Subscribe
I agreed to take on some work for a client, but am realizing that right now I don't have the bandwidth to follow through. How do I kindly end things without upsetting the client?
The client is a friend of a friend who needs some social media marketing help and help revamping their website. He also will need some ongoing social media marketing help. He is willing to compensate me financially for this time.
I agreed to do this because I am unemployed at the moment, but I am also in the middle of two personal projects that are more important to me at this time and I don't want them to get shortchanged. I also am trying to pivot away from this kind of work, as I did it for two years in a toxic job at a very small business and now do it in a volunteer capacity for a local non-profit whose board I am on.
It turns out the scope of what he needs is way bigger than what he initially presented to me. I've come up with a broad plan for his website and how to start using his social media channels to his advantage, but right now I want to present that plan to him, charge him a flat fee for coming up with the plan, and then end the arrangement; I simply do not have ten hours a week (our original intention) to devote to being his social media manager. I initially took this on because he is networked very heavily in an arts space that I thought would be helpful for my career, but pandemic stress and isolation has been affecting my mental health and I just don't have the bandwidth to do this anymore.
What I would like to do is email him the marketing plan, tell him how much I am charging him for the plan, and then gently tell him he needs to find someone else to execute the plan. I would offer up potential replacement people to take over for me so he wouldn't have to look for a new person on his own but I don't know anybody personally who would be a good fit, though I'm willing to do some research to show good faith.
My brain is fried today and I owe him an email and I need to just rip this band-aid off. How do I tell him I can't continue to help him (but here's my invoice!) in a polite way that doesn't burn a bridge? Verbiage advice needed. If you were in his shoes what would you want to hear from me that wouldn't make you mad?
The client is a friend of a friend who needs some social media marketing help and help revamping their website. He also will need some ongoing social media marketing help. He is willing to compensate me financially for this time.
I agreed to do this because I am unemployed at the moment, but I am also in the middle of two personal projects that are more important to me at this time and I don't want them to get shortchanged. I also am trying to pivot away from this kind of work, as I did it for two years in a toxic job at a very small business and now do it in a volunteer capacity for a local non-profit whose board I am on.
It turns out the scope of what he needs is way bigger than what he initially presented to me. I've come up with a broad plan for his website and how to start using his social media channels to his advantage, but right now I want to present that plan to him, charge him a flat fee for coming up with the plan, and then end the arrangement; I simply do not have ten hours a week (our original intention) to devote to being his social media manager. I initially took this on because he is networked very heavily in an arts space that I thought would be helpful for my career, but pandemic stress and isolation has been affecting my mental health and I just don't have the bandwidth to do this anymore.
What I would like to do is email him the marketing plan, tell him how much I am charging him for the plan, and then gently tell him he needs to find someone else to execute the plan. I would offer up potential replacement people to take over for me so he wouldn't have to look for a new person on his own but I don't know anybody personally who would be a good fit, though I'm willing to do some research to show good faith.
My brain is fried today and I owe him an email and I need to just rip this band-aid off. How do I tell him I can't continue to help him (but here's my invoice!) in a polite way that doesn't burn a bridge? Verbiage advice needed. If you were in his shoes what would you want to hear from me that wouldn't make you mad?
This post was deleted for the following reason: posters request -- frimble
Quit quickly, that's the main thing, so they can scramble another solution. But be ready to take the loss on the plan, since it's more like prep for the project and not its own deliverable. If you can't follow through to execute it, that plan might be no use to them, and it would be salt in the wound for them to have to pay for it.
Personally, I would explain the changes in my bandwidth and the project's scope, be clear that I'm not able to complete the project to anyone's satisfaction, and offer the plan for free (if it's already done) as good faith advice/compensation for flaking. If you don't know anyone who can take the project on, you don't need to go out of your way to recruit. Let them offer the gig up to their own contacts.
posted by Freyja at 7:04 AM on July 7, 2020 [2 favorites]
Personally, I would explain the changes in my bandwidth and the project's scope, be clear that I'm not able to complete the project to anyone's satisfaction, and offer the plan for free (if it's already done) as good faith advice/compensation for flaking. If you don't know anyone who can take the project on, you don't need to go out of your way to recruit. Let them offer the gig up to their own contacts.
posted by Freyja at 7:04 AM on July 7, 2020 [2 favorites]
charge him a flat fee for coming up with the plan
If a plan wasn't an agreed deliverable, you might end up writing the time off. Depending on exactly what the plan is and who he ends up taking over the project, they might not want to work off of someone else's plan.
posted by Candleman at 7:18 AM on July 7, 2020 [2 favorites]
If a plan wasn't an agreed deliverable, you might end up writing the time off. Depending on exactly what the plan is and who he ends up taking over the project, they might not want to work off of someone else's plan.
posted by Candleman at 7:18 AM on July 7, 2020 [2 favorites]
jzb nailed it perfectly - very clear break, a break on the price, and a handoff to one or more other folks who might be better suited to take it on. It hits all the buttons. If you wanted to open the door to future business down the road (in a year or something), you might drop in a line to that effect at the close. Maybe something like:
"I'm very glad to have helped out and look forward to watching your project grow. Let's stay in touch!"
posted by jquinby at 7:27 AM on July 7, 2020 [1 favorite]
"I'm very glad to have helped out and look forward to watching your project grow. Let's stay in touch!"
posted by jquinby at 7:27 AM on July 7, 2020 [1 favorite]
JZB's template is exactly how I would handle this.
posted by Kitchen Witch at 8:36 AM on July 7, 2020
posted by Kitchen Witch at 8:36 AM on July 7, 2020
Best answer: Did you have agreement terms that clearly support the idea that the plan has value as a standalone? If not, I don't think it's fair to unilaterally decide it has value to him without your ongoing involvement in its execution, when you'd both had the latter in mind. Whoever he hires next may need to develop their own plan, with no benefit to him of having received yours. I think the rest of JZB's script is great, but I'd move the part about the plan to the end, and rather than including it, I'd state that it exists and what cost it represents, and let him decide whether or not to receive and pay for it. If that sounds like you're holding it hostage, you could say something about it being just about ready, and that if he'd like you to, you'd finish it up and send it along (if he wants to pay for it).
posted by daisyace at 8:49 AM on July 7, 2020 [6 favorites]
posted by daisyace at 8:49 AM on July 7, 2020 [6 favorites]
Best answer: If the agreed upon deliverable was the actual marketing and website changes then, as a client, I would likely value the standalone plan at $0. I would not react positively if you attempted to charge me for it without ever having received my agreement that I want or value it.
There is a chance that I would be willing to buy it if offered, but it would not be a given for a host of reasons. As such, I strongly endorse daisyace's suggested changes.
posted by whisk(e)y neat at 11:13 AM on July 7, 2020 [1 favorite]
There is a chance that I would be willing to buy it if offered, but it would not be a given for a host of reasons. As such, I strongly endorse daisyace's suggested changes.
posted by whisk(e)y neat at 11:13 AM on July 7, 2020 [1 favorite]
I agree with those who say JZB's template is great, except for the part where you unilaterally name a price and discount. I think you don't really get to do that if you're walking away from the project.
Daisyace's suggestion is a good one. Another suggestion (which is what I would do, especially if it was a friend, and especially if it was not a ton of time/money) is make them a partner in deciding, if they do want to buy he plan, what an appropriate price/discount might be. Something like this:
I have developed the social media plan we discussed. I understand that you originally hoped for this to be part of a bigger package, so I'm not sure if that plan is still of value to you. My hope is that it is. I'd be interested in whether that work is still useful to you, and if so, what you think a fair price might be. Doing that plan took me ___ hours, which would normally mean it was $____ of my time. Give the situation, I'm open to the idea of offering a discount on that rate.
My thinking here is that you really don't know what the value of this part of the project is to them. It might be zero. It might be the full price. Your guess is really just a guess. If they are a fiend, it seems like you might want to work together to come to an agreement that seems fair to both of you.
You could elaborate by naming a discount if you want to ("I was thinking of a xx% discount"), but I personally wouldn't.
posted by ManInSuit at 11:33 AM on July 7, 2020
Daisyace's suggestion is a good one. Another suggestion (which is what I would do, especially if it was a friend, and especially if it was not a ton of time/money) is make them a partner in deciding, if they do want to buy he plan, what an appropriate price/discount might be. Something like this:
I have developed the social media plan we discussed. I understand that you originally hoped for this to be part of a bigger package, so I'm not sure if that plan is still of value to you. My hope is that it is. I'd be interested in whether that work is still useful to you, and if so, what you think a fair price might be. Doing that plan took me ___ hours, which would normally mean it was $____ of my time. Give the situation, I'm open to the idea of offering a discount on that rate.
My thinking here is that you really don't know what the value of this part of the project is to them. It might be zero. It might be the full price. Your guess is really just a guess. If they are a fiend, it seems like you might want to work together to come to an agreement that seems fair to both of you.
You could elaborate by naming a discount if you want to ("I was thinking of a xx% discount"), but I personally wouldn't.
posted by ManInSuit at 11:33 AM on July 7, 2020
This thread is closed to new comments.
I really appreciate the opportunity and wish I was able to take this on, but I do not want to shortchange you and deliver less than your business deserves or do work I'm not proud of.
However, I can recommend ___ people who would be well-suited to step in and execute this for you. They are ____, ____, and ____. Their contact information is included, and I am happy to make an introduction. Thanks again for the opportunity, I'm sorry that I won't be able to take this on at this time."
posted by jzb at 6:58 AM on July 7, 2020 [20 favorites]