posted by Debra on Jun 21
As with many businesses do, you should prepare consulting contracts that will safe guard your profit making in the business. A consulting contract that is agreed upon between you and client is one of the ways to prevent any inner conflict that may occur along the process of the consultation project.
Some of the things to include in every consulting contract would be listing down the payment and terms of billing for the client. You have to state how frequent and how much you would bill the client. In times of slow economy, payments may be put on hold, so you might want to initiate to charge interest on payments that are delayed after a period of 30 days.
In the contract, you should also describe your work scope. Bear in mind that you should always stick to your field and never stray too far from what you’re willing to commit at work. Otherwise, you might be held responsible to do needless follow-up for the client at your expense.
Stating the time line and duration of the projects in the contract (as well as proposal) will protect you from unforeseeable delays and disrupted payment or fees due to the delay. Besides, stating the duration on the contract will give reassurance to clients through proper, delegated work and being able to manage them until due completion at a give time frame.
Beware of what you guarantee in ensuring the best results of the project. There are many factors which are out of our bounds and control that may affect the desired outcome of the project, thus giving an illusion of guaranteed success of your project-dealing may not be a sound idea.
Defining a clear ownership and nondisclosure in contracts is also important to include in the contract. You need to make it clear as to who has the ownership of the material that you use during the course of project.
A nondisclosure clause is essential in order to draw a boundary line between your business and the client. This is to prohibit the act of disclosing the company’s proprietary data, business strategies and technology.
In essence, the main goal of the consulting project is to provide the best result possible for the client as well as keeping them satisfied with your work. Hence, it is important to remain objective at all times to maintain a professional image of yourself as a consultant.
