When a client says “one more thing,” make the trade-off clear.

Understand the request before defending the scope

A request for changes can mean several things. You may have missed a requirement. The client may be using an agreed revision round. Or the business need may have changed. Ask what outcome the client wants and which part of the delivered work is not meeting it. Repeating the contract language before understanding the issue rarely improves clarity.

Use three practical categories

Correction: the output does not meet an agreed requirement. Revision: feedback within the defined deliverable and allowance. New scope: an added audience, deliverable, integration, or direction beyond that agreement. These are working categories for a discussion; your actual agreement governs responsibilities.

For a newsletter package, correcting an inaccurate quotation differs from revising the opening within an included round. Turning the newsletter into a new landing page is another deliverable. If the original scope was vague, acknowledge that and agree on a clearer path forward.

Explain the impact in concrete terms

“I can add the landing page. That adds a new deliverable and review step. I can quote it separately and extend delivery, or we can replace the three posts with the landing page after agreeing on the revised scope.”

Offer choices you can actually deliver. Do not imply that every change must be rejected, and do not accept an unpriced expansion just to avoid an uncomfortable conversation. Update the deliverables, fee, schedule, and approval record before starting the additional work.

Ask for consolidated feedback

If several stakeholders comment independently, ask the named approver to resolve conflicting directions. Invite specific examples: which sentence, which screen, which requirement? “Make it pop” can become a conversation about hierarchy, emphasis, or contrast. You need a decision, not a growing collection of incompatible preferences.

Use AI for rehearsal, not invented authority

Give an assistant a redacted summary and ask it to make your explanation calm and specific. Check that the wording does not invent a contract clause, approval, or payment obligation. Your message should reflect what the two parties actually agreed.

Improve the next project

Track why revisions happened. Missing source material, an absent approver, or an unclear sample may point to an onboarding problem. Repeated expansion can signal that buyers need a larger offer. Review the pattern before blaming the client or simply adding a generic revision limit.

Use a change response and document the updated scope.