I can talk about client agreements for service business owners all day. It’s one of my favorite topics! My Businessese shop offers several of these templates, and I regularly work with clients through my law firm when they need a custom client agreement.

As a service-based business owner, a client agreement is one of the most important documents in the legal foundation of your business. They can vary depending on what field you’re in too. For instance, interior designers might have a very different agreement than a life coach.

The areas I cover today, however, should help you build a great client agreement for your service business. In this episode, I’ll concentrate on some of the most common provisions that appear in a client agreement and some things you may want to consider as you prepare or enhance it.

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In this episode:

[02:04] - Danielle talks about the term of a client agreement.

[03:30] - Consider these questions while reviewing the termination provision.

[04:58] - Make sure you’re specific in your compensation section and pay attention to these areas of consideration.

[05:40] - Will your client reimburse you for any costs?

[06:06] - What is your process if the client wants any changes or revisions? Danielle warns against scope creep.

[07:02] - Clearly outline what you expect when it comes to confidentiality.

[08:17] - Danielle discusses provision language for authorization of intellectual property use derived from services you complete for the client.

[08:38] - If you’re creating original content for a client, include a provision regarding ownership of the work product. Danielle briefly reviews three common scenarios.

[09:49] - When should you include language about client reviews of drafts? What about delay fees or the number of drafts?

[10:39] - A disclaimer may be a good option in a creative field or a service where a client tends to look for a particular outcome, like search engine optimization services.

[11:16] - If you’ll have access to your client’s logins, then you’ll want to include this clause in your client agreement.

[11:44] - Service-based business owners should use their agreements to set boundaries, especially as their business grows.

[13:16] - What is your statement or scope of work? Discuss the deliverables for both parties.

[14:02] - Don’t forget to add these types of standard legal provisions to your client agreement.

[14:39] - To end the show, Danielle wraps it up with some action steps.

 

Links & Resources:

“5 Tips to Avoid Scope Creep”

Client Agreement DIY Templates

Episode 11: “Ending a Contract”

Episode 9: “Contracts: Money & Getting Paid”

Episode 10: “Confidentiality in Contracts”

Episode 13: “Content Ownership in Contracts”

Episode 15: “What Do Boilerplate Contract Clauses Mean?”

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