280. Baking it Down - Scary Scope Creep

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😱 Scary Scope Creep - How to stop the spread.

In this week's Baking it Down Podcast - Episode 280 - Scary Scope Creep, we are scarin' you straight back to staying within scope, aka what you and the client originally agreed on for their order.

Scope creep is the scary term for agreeing to a design and a price, but over time, through minor changes and alterations, the initial quote no longer matches the bloat. You're now making less profit or, even worse, losing money on this order. And really, it's everyone's fault while also being no one's fault. No one sets out to "get one over on their baker," and no baker sets out to lose money on an order they worked hard on - that's why it's called creep - it creeps in slowly, stealing your profit and your peace of mind.

Here's how to stop scope creep in its scary tracks.

🧟‍♂️ Creepy - Not Having a Form

Let the form be the scary bad guy here. Having a form forces your client to stay in their order lane. Two dozen minimum? The form communicates that. Payment due to click submit? Form forces their hand (and wallet). Having a form is the first line of defense against scope-creeping clients.

🧟‍♂️ Creepy - Not Limiting Emails

Scope creep is rarely brazen. No client is going to send you an email that says, "Hey - I know we agreed to X price, but I'm going to add Y changes and still expect the price to stay the same." Oftentimes, it creeps in through endless back-and-forth emails with changes that aren't reigned in. When you see that a client will be coming up with an endless list of ideas, rate-limit their emails. "Awesome - two more emails to dial in design and lock in the final details, and we'll be all set." 

🧟‍♂️ Creepy - Not Requoting

When a change is made after the quote was finalized, don't be scared of saying, "Awesome - let me requote that for you." You're not forcing them to pay it; you're letting them know the change in scope results in a change in rate, and they have the option to accept or reject that change. It's a great way to train your clients that changes result in charges. Otherwise, you're training them to scope creep - and it won't go over well when you eventually decide to walk that "free work" back one day. 

🧟‍♂️ Creepy - Scope Creeping Yourself

The client ain't always the one to blame when it comes to scope creep. If they agreed to X, but you added gold, 2 more designs, and 3 more cookies to their order - you just robbed yourself. "But I just want to overdeliver!" Overdelivering when you're losing money is bad business. Put on the good business owner hat and instead of over-delivering for $0, try upselling them. Maybe they'll be willing to pay too!

🧟‍♂️ Creepy - Not Knowing Your Numbers

The easiest way to fall victim to scope creep is not truly knowing your numbers - ingredients, labor, packaging, overhead, and profit. If you're unsure if your costs are covered and that you're pulling a profit, you won't know where the scope creep haunts ya. Good thing The Cookie College is rolling out the Profit Blueprint this October! 

👂 Snag this podcast on any major podcast player (Spotify, Apple Music, Audible, Amazon Music, or watch it on YouTube) by searching for Baking it Down Podcast - Episode 280 - Scary Scope Creep.