Managing your clients proofs and approvals
Thursday’s Management Tip for Graphic Designers
Once a design is done and over with, is it really over and done with?
Imagine this scenario: you’ve finished a job and handed over the files after the client during a phone conversation had told you that everything was okay.
Two weeks later, he comes back and says that there’s a mistake in the file and it printed with the mistake and worse, he “told” you to fix something that wasn’t fixed. What can you do? Argue?
Protecting yourself from clients:
- Never accept a verbal okay. Always get some confirmation in writing.
- Make sure that the final okay is given to the last revision of work
- Add the disclaimer: any omissions, errors, and other legal and compliance issues are the sole responsibility of the client (or words to that effect.)
- Never send works in progress. Only send final documents once everything is ready for printing.
- When clearing your emails, make sure that you keep revisions emails, but most importantly, the final okay. You never know when they’ll be back!
- Make so exceptions to these rules.
C O N C L U S I O N :
Never stray from this. ALWAYS get the approval first. I know I sound nasty and I’ve had clients try and fool me: “send the files to me now and I’ll send the okay later.” And I’ve learned to say NO!
My favorite saying is: “An oral agreement is not worth the paper it’s written on.” It’s become my mantra.
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