Like it or not – your contract says a lot to your clients about you and the kind of business you’re running.

Question is – is your contract leaving a positive impression?

Let me explain:

Let’s say you’re in the market to hire a new website designer for your business. You’ve worked hard and saved $5,000 for this project and can’t wait to find the perfect person for this project! Excited to get started, you reach out to three website designers and ask them for their proposal and contract.

First up is Amateur Amy. She sends you an email with a link to a Paypal invoice for the $5,000 and there’s no contract. You’ve never worked with a website designer before and so you have no idea what the whole process entails.  Handing over $5,000 without a contract has got you feeling uneasy.

Sloppy Sally is a bit better. She sends you a contract, but it’s super basic. It’s missing some terms in the contract that would make you feel comfortable working with her. Plus, it looks like she slapped together the contract herself because when you ask her to clarify some of the clauses, she’s confused herself. You like Sally, but you’re not so sure if she’s running a legit business or just dabbling in website design.

And finally, there’s Professional Patty. She sends you a thoughtful, well-written contract that includes issues you hadn’t even thought of. The contract protects Patty, but it also has clauses that protect you as well.

Who are you going to feel comfortable investing 5,000 of your hard-earned dollars with?

Well, if you’re like most people, you’ll probably say Professional Patty. Based on her contract alone, Patty’s professional contract leaves a positive impression about the type of experience you’re going to have working with her.

Here’s the thing – in a saturated and competitive market, your potential clients are judging you in the same way.   They are making a significant investment by spending THEIR hard earned dollars to work with you. Does your contract leave a positive impression?