How to Ask For More Money if the Project Changes

by Andy Strote, photo by Jon Tyson

How would you handle this?

I was talking to a creative team that did a big project for an organization. The client agreed to pay $50,000 for the project. There were many components to this project.

Here’s where it gets tricky. The client agreed to handle some of these components and turn them over to the team.

During the project, for various reasons, the client wasn’t able to do their part, so the creative team did the work. Technically, it was out of scope. In the fast back-and-forth of the job, they didn’t say anything about extra billing.

The job was completed. It was a huge success! The team hit it out of the park! Rave reviews all around. In fact, the client wants to give the team another similar project. Everyone is looking forward to it.

Now, back to reality.

Can You Bill After the Fact?

When the team signed the contract, the client made it clear that $50,000 was the maximum available. The organization saw this as a significant project, and they were stretching the money to make it happen.

So, the project was done, and the $50,000 was billed. Then, the team finally got around to looking at their hours and the fact that they had done substantial extra work for no additional money.

Adding it all up, they felt the total should have been $70,000, maybe $75,000.

Their question to me:

Given the change in project scope, could they go back to the client and ask for more money?

How would you answer that?

By the way, there’s lots of information on project management and money talk in both of my books. Just saying…

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A Hard Lesson in Project Management and Money Talk

My short answer to the team was “NO”. You’ve done the job. You got paid what you asked for. Everyone is ecstatic. The client feels they got a great project for their $50,000.

The obvious mistake happened when the client told the team they couldn’t do their part of the project, and the team said nothing about money.

This was a clear case of scope creep. I wrote a detailed post about scope creep and how to prevent it here.

At that point, the team should have raised a hand and said they would be happy to take on this extra work and would send them an estimate to cover it.

Why Didn’t the Team Speak Up About Money?

I didn’t ask, but I can guess. Two reasons… they were so caught up in the project, wanting to make it a big success, that they didn’t mind taking on this work.

At least they would have control over it and do it the way they wanted, rather than accepting something from the client that might not meet their standards.

But more likely, it was inexperience or a bit of fear around money talk. After all, $50,000 is already a lot of money (but it was a huge job), and the client had made it clear that this was the limit.

Under those circumstances, how could they ask for more money?

Easy.

Letting clients know about extra costs gives them a few options.

Despite saying they couldn’t contribute the work they had agreed to, the client might have found a way. Work weekends? Hire some internal help? Whatever… it’s what they agreed to provide.

Or perhaps they could decide that the project would be fine without that work. Maybe it wasn’t critical to the success of the project.

But in my experience, it’s more likely the client would have found additional money. Perhaps to satisfy their procurement department, they could call it a separate job. There are many ways for clients to find money when they really need it.

Read this for detailed tips on money talk with clients.

What is the Harm in Asking for More Money at That Stage?

Think about it. The project is done, it’s a big success, and the client has paid the bill. They have long forgotten that the creative team did any extra work.

The client will be surprised by a request for additional money. What will they think about this?

Potentially, they’ll think the creative team is good at creative but not so good at managing the business. The client will wonder why they didn’t say anything during the project.

The biggest risk is any future projects. Right now, the client is super happy with the team. They’re looking forward to working with them again. This could become a regular gig. Anything that casts doubt on this team could jeopardize future work.

My advice is that it’s not worth the risk. It’s an expensive lesson to learn. But on the other hand, it was still $50,000, an extraordinary portfolio piece, and the team has made raving fans who might refer them to other clients, both internal and external. Why risk wrecking that?

My Advice to The Team Going Forward

Hire a project manager either full-time if they can justify it or on a contract basis per job. When you’re doing projects of this scale, it helps to have someone else handle all the bits and pieces of managing, communicating, reminding everyone of deadlines, and everything else that goes into the project.

At first, it may seem like you’re giving money away for something you’ve done yourself.

But in my experience, it’s a massive weight off your back. Suddenly, the creative team can focus on their work, confident that all of the admin is being handled.

Let the Project Manager Be the “Bad Guy”

Project managers keep everyone on track. Sometimes, both the client and the creative team will push back a little, but in the end, everyone realizes that a good project manager helps them get the job done.

This is especially true when it comes to talking about money. Let the project manager tell the client that the creative team is happy to do the extra work, and here comes an estimate for that work. That’s a clean way to separate the business from the creative work.

The creative team are the fun guys, turning out great work. The project manager is the necessary person to stay on top of the business.

Summary: You Need Detailed Estimates and Stick to Them

Whether you’re working by the estimate or by the hour, your estimate needs to be thorough, and, if necessary, include details of anything the client will provide.

Then, you have to stick to it. You can throw in little five-minute jobs if you want, but you have to address more significant changes.

Here’s what I wrote about how to write estimates that win big projects. Use this and customize it to create your own estimate template.

Testimonial: You Can Charge More

“I took a lot from your book around proposals. Show them everything that is involved in delivering a quality product, all the steps you take.

You can charge more, and they will understand the value you put into it.”

Sean Hogue, Twitter

Free 1-Hour Consultation if You Bought One of My Books

I’ve been doing this but never publicized it. If you bought one of my books, I’m happy to chat on Zoom, Google, or whatever platform works. (This blog post is the result of one of those consultations.)

I’ve done it for quite a few people and have enjoyed it. For some, it helps them give their business direction or solves immediate problems.

No proof of purchase is necessary. I’ll take your word for it (but I might ask you what you liked most about the book).

So, buy a book and get in touch. If you already own one of the books and want to talk, let me know.

On Bluesky, DM me at ‪@strotebook.bsky.social

On Twitter, I’m @StroteBook

On LinkedIn, I’m Andy Strote

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