5 MIN READ
Maintaining positive client relationships is a top priority for service businesses and agencies. However, from time to time you’ll encounter challenging client situations that require tactful communications.
So here are four email templates to help you respond professionally.
1. Client has changes after a contract is negotiated
You’ve spent time negotiating a contract, writing out and agreeing on the brief, and you’re just waiting for the client to hit GO. Then they want changes. What do you say?
Dear [Name],
Thanks for sending through the new requirements for [Name of project]. We’re happy to amend the current contract to reflect these changes. Here’s a new outline of the scope:
(LIST REQUIREMENTS)
These changes will need a new contract, which I’ll send to you as soon as I can. The price will also change.
If you think these aren’t the last amendments, please let me know so I can see if we have to adjust the schedule as well.
I’ll be in contact again shortly.
Kind regards
2. When you decide to raise your rates
As your team upskills and your business or agency gains experience and reputation within the industry, you can command a higher rate. But telling a long-term client that your rates are rising can be daunting, so here’s a little template to help:
Dear [Name]
I hope this email finds you well. I’m writing today to let you know that as of [date], we’ll be changing our rates to:
(LIST NEW RATES)
This adjustment reflects our commitment to bringing you top-notch service while helping us keep pace with the rising costs of talent, technology and other essential resources. We understand the importance of budget decisions and want you to know this isn’t a change we’ve undertaken lightly.
We appreciate your continued trust in our company. I’d be more than happy to answer any questions.
Kind regards
3. When you need to decline a project
What happens when you’re already pulling 70 hour weeks and you're having trouble managing the work you already have? Occasionally you’ll need to decline a project, so here’s how you can do it while keeping things friendly and not closing the door on future opportunities.
Dear [Name]
Thanks for contacting us about [name of project]. It looks like a fantastic piece of work.
However, we unfortunately don’t have the capacity to take it on right now. We’d want to give it 100% of course but with our current workload, we wouldn’t meet our high standards.
I anticipate that we’ll have more capacity around [month] if you have any projects you’d like us to look at then.
Kind regards
4. Request a testimonial or case study
Testimonials from current clients who are happy with your work are an excellent way to show others that you’re a credible company. Reading about or seeing the results you’ve helped a client gain, or how easy you were to work with, can help you stand out from the competition.
It’s not always easy to ask someone to praise you but if you’ve done a good job, they should be more than happy to offer a quote or sit down for an interview that can be used for a case study. Quick tip: Ask for the testimonial as soon as you’ve completed the job or when the results roll in. Your client will be more likely to remember the good experience and be on a bit of a high from the success.
Here’s a template to help get the story you want.
Dear [Name]
Thank you for working with us on your [name of project] campaign. We really enjoyed the creative challenges in this particular project!
I’d love to showcase the work and wondered if you could share some of your thoughts about it. We’d use your words to accompany images that we’ll include on our [website/social pages/pitch packs].
It would be great if you could send through a short testimonial paragraph or write a few sentences to answer these questions:
- What did you like about our approach?
- How did our solution address your challenge?
- What results has our work generated for your company?
- What did you enjoy about working with us?
- What can we improve on?
- Would you recommend our services to others?
- How would you sum up your experience with us in one sentence?
Thanks so much for helping us out. Let me know if you have any questions.
Kind regards
