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Rant: Started charging for revisions and lost 3 clients in one month
I used to include unlimited revisions in my graphic design packages because I thought it was part of being a good creative partner. After a project where a real estate broker made me redo a flyer 14 times over 6 weeks, I finally switched to a flat fee plus per-revision charges in March. Now I lose clients who expect endless changes for the same price, but the ones who stay actually respect my time and pay faster. Is it better to keep the volume up with free changes or charge separately and lose the freeloaders? Has anyone else seen a drop in clients after making this switch?
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wood.eric1mo ago
Man that real estate broker story hit home... I did the same thing with unlimited changes and had a client run me through 20 rounds on a logo once. When I switched to charging per revision I lost a few clients too, but honestly it was a relief. The people who stayed actually valued my time and stopped treating me like a vending machine for free labor. You're better off with fewer clients who respect your boundaries than a stack of people who bleed you dry. Plus the ones who left were probably gonna be a headache down the road anyway.
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sean_cooper581mo ago
20 rounds on a logo is absolute INSANITY, I feel your pain completely on that one.
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the_harper1mo ago
Did you notice any difference in how the clients who stayed versus the ones who left reacted when you first told them about the new revision policy? Like were some of them actually relieved too, or did most of the ones who left get super defensive about it? I'm curious because I'm thinking about making a similar switch myself but I'm worried about the awkward conversations that come with it. The way you described it makes it sound like the relief outweighs the stress in the long run though.
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