Contract Worker - Freelancing Experiences

How to Make Promises That Won’t Leave You Out to Dry

by Rico on June 19th, 2007

I recently made the mistake of promising to create a presentation for a client, clearly not following my own advice. By saying yes, I thought I was agreeing to get the presentation’s content from the client, and place on PowerPoint slides (he didn’t have a copy of the program). Turns out the client was expecting me to create specific slides, from the general ideas he discussed previously in the conversation. Meaning that I had to come up with the entire presentation from those few key points!

Our assertion that the promise actually meant this or that led to a heated argument. Eventually I grudgingly agreed to carry out the project, even though it was literally not what I signed up for. How did this happen?

No one was at fault here. Vocal communication can be a tricky thing. The words you say may mean one thing to you, yet it could be interpreted in a totally different way by the listener. A company may think they’re putting out fires with their PR speak, while ardent critics may see it as more proof of the company’s insincerity. A recent post on Brand Curve, discussing Dell’s answer to the backlash it generated a few days ago, is a great example of this phenomenon in action.

The point is, when making a promise to do a project in a certain way, be as specific as possible. Double-check if everything is clear before ending the conversation. Which means you’ll have to review everything. Make sure you know what your client is trying to say, and make sure he knows what you’re trying to say.

Avoid figures of speech. Metaphors, alliterations, and the like make for good writing, but not when you’re promising something specific. The extra effort you take to clarify everything in the beginning will save you from a lot of trouble down the road.

Lastly, if you can write down the promise, do so. Ensure that the written version of the promise is accepted by both parties. A lot of people believe and uphold the principle of a “man’s word,” but our memories aren’t so noble. I’ve actually negotiated with people who initially forget the terms of their initial promise. Unintentionally in fact, because they unconsciously remembered what was favorable for them. Writing it down virtually eliminates this possibility.

Sometimes this isn’t possible; some people may get offended if you ask them to sign a written promise. If that’s the case, try to do it subtly. Move the conversation to email or IM (with its chat recording feature turned on). That way you’ll automatically have a written record of the conversation.

The client (who happens to be someone very close to me) and me insisted on our version of the promise, and now we aren’t on speaking terms. All because of a misunderstanding that would’ve been avoided if I just took the time to clarify everything before making a promise.

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POSTED IN: Living as a Freelancer