Message answering a client who wants more work for the same price
Who wrote it
Imane Berrada, a UX designer in Casablanca, agreed to design 12 app screens. The client now wants six more and a dark mode for the same budget.
The writer and every detail about them are fictional.
What went into the template
- What the client asked for
- Add six screens (onboarding and settings) and a dark mode to the 12-screen app design, for the same $900 budget
- Your position
- The 12 screens in the brief are covered and on track for Friday. Six extra screens: $360 and 4 more days. Dark mode for all 18 screens: $250 and 3 days.
- Options you can offer
- Swap six lower-priority screens from the original brief for the new ones at no extra cost; or deliver the 12 on Friday and do the rest as a second phase next month
- Tone
- Confident
The writer’s facts, as typed into the template’s form. The example uses nothing else.
The example
Scope and price negotiation: Scope and price
Numbered notes in the margin explain each choice.
Hi Tom,
Greeting
Thanks for sending the extra screens. I can see why you want onboarding and settings in this version1.
Acknowledge the request
Note 1: Understanding the request first keeps the tone friendly. The client is not wrong to ask.
Our agreement covers the 12 screens in the brief2, and those are on track for Friday. The six new screens would be $360 and four more days3, and a dark mode for all 18 screens would be $250 and three days.
What is covered, what costs more
Note 2: A calm reminder of the agreement, without accusing the client of anything.
Note 3: Each addition has a price and a time. Clients accept numbers more easily than refusals.
If the budget is fixed for now, two options could work:
- We swap six lower-priority screens from the original brief for the new ones, at no extra cost4.
- We finish the 12 screens on Friday and do the new screens and the dark mode as a second phase next month.
Options
Note 4: The first option keeps the budget fixed and still gives the client what matters most to them.
Which would suit you best?5
One question
Note 5: One easy question turns a negotiation into a choice.
Best,
Imane
Structure
How it is built
Each part in order, with its share of the words.
Checklist
Before you send
Go through your own draft line by line.
Before and after
Common mistakes and how to fix them
Lines like these turn up in many drafts by Arabic speakers. Each fix keeps the meaning and changes only the English.
Sorry, but this is not included and I cannot do it for free.
Our agreement covers the 12 screens in the brief, and those are on track for Friday.
You are asking for too much for this price.
The six new screens would be $360 and four more days.
OK, no problem, I will do it.
If the budget is fixed for now, two options could work.
Questions people ask
How do I say no to extra work without losing the client?
Do not say no: say what the current price covers, give the price and time for the extra, and offer an option within the budget. Most clients choose one of the options.
When should I raise a change in scope?
As soon as the request arrives, before you start the extra work. Raising it after the work is done is much harder.
Should I give a discount to keep the client happy?
Only if you choose to, and say so clearly as a one-time gesture. A discount given to avoid an awkward message becomes the new price.
Every writer in this library is fictional, and so is every detail about them. Universities and companies appear only as places someone applies to; the professors, papers and facts mentioned around them are invented for teaching. Use the examples to learn the moves, never as text to copy: committees notice, and your own facts are stronger.