I'll never forget the first time I let a 'small favor' turn into a full weekend of unpaid work. 😅 What's the wildest 'out of scope' request you've ever received from a client? Let's swap war stories!

We've all been there—the 'quick favor' that turns into a weekend of work. What's the most surprising request a client has ever assumed was 'included' in your fee? Let's swap war stories (and solutions) in the comments!

I've found that explicitly listing what is not included in the scope has saved me from more headaches than anything else. Does anyone else include a specific 'Out of Scope' section in their design proposals, or do you handle scope creep differently?

What's the biggest objection you hear when you send a proposal? Is it price, timeline, or something else? I've found that usually, 'price' objections are actually just 'trust' objections in disguise.

I'm curious—for the editors here, do you charge a separate fee for project archival/storage, or do you roll that into your main rate? I've seen more editors adding 'Digital Storage Fees' lately and wonder if clients are pushing back.

I once had a client claim ownership of a generic utility library I'd used on ten other projects because the contract didn't specify 'Background Technology'. Has anyone else had a client try to claim your entire toolkit? How did you handle it?

One of the hardest lessons I learned as a freelancer was that clients don't care about 'design'—they care about what design does for their business. Once I changed my proposals to focus on ROI instead of deliverables, everything changed. What's the biggest hurdle you face when writing proposals?

I've found that the 'Cost of Inaction' calculation is usually the turning point in these negotiations. Does anyone else have a specific formula or question they use to help clients realize how expensive not being secure actually is?

I used to be terrified that raising my rates would scare away every client. Ironically, the opposite happened—I got fewer 'tire kickers' and more serious business owners. What's the biggest fear holding you back from raising your prices today?

One question that changed my freelance career was asking clients "What happens if you DON'T solve this problem?" It completely shifts the conversation from price to value. Does anyone else have a favorite 'power question' they use during intro calls?