Endless change requests: control scope without losing the client

Freelance work most often loses money not because the price was low, but because the job keeps growing at the same price, bit by bit, until the real hours far exceed the estimate.

Prevent it in the quotation

• What you deliver as a countable list, e.g. "5 web pages", not "build a website"
• How many revision rounds, and what "revision" means (adjusting the existing work, not a new direction)
• What's excluded, written out — e.g. no copywriting, no photography
• How extra requests are charged — an hourly rate or a quote per request

When a new request comes in

1. Thank them and restate clearly what they want
2. Say plainly that it's outside the original scope and offer options: more money + time · swap it for something not yet done · do it in a later phase
3. Get the answer in writing (chat/email) before starting

Sample message: "Sure — this is outside the original list. It needs about 4 more hours, costs X baht and moves delivery by 2 days, or we can keep it for phase 2."

Always log your real hours

• Record time spent per job against the estimate — your next quote will be more accurate
• Jobs that run over often are a sign the scope wasn't written clearly