7 Key Reasons Why You Need Top-Notch Consulting Agreement Services (And Why Generic Contracts Won’t Cut It)
Are you a consultant looking for the right consulting agreement services for your niche? Here’s exactly why you need custom consulting agreement services from a lawyer who gets you!
As a consultant, you are offering specialized services with an approach that is unique to you. As a lawyer myself who drafts consulting agreements for consultants in all types of niches like you, I can tell you exactly what makes a good consulting agreement and why templates and custom contracts from other lawyers won’t help you.
In this blog post, I’m spelling out what you need to look for in consulting agreement services. So, you’ll know exactly what to watch out for in both paid and free consulting agreement services, and you’ll know what a proper consultancy agreement for professional services should look like for your consulting business.
After learning all about what you need in your consulting agreement, you’ll know exactly what consulting agreement services you need to get the best contract for your specific consulting business.
This post is all about why you need top-notch consulting agreement services (and why DIY templates and many custom contracts won’t cut it).
Best Consulting Agreement Services
What you need to get the best consultancy agreement for professional services
1. Every consulting service is unique—so should every contract be
Depending on your niche and even within your consulting niche, every consultant has a different approach.
‘Consulting’ is a very broad term that every consultant and client will interpret differently—and there’s no right or wrong answer.
Some consultants stick to a purely advisory role, while others are very hands-on and lead the client’s team or take over the execution of the project.
For example, one product development consultant may purely advise on the steps to take and connect their clients with manufacturers, while another might be communicating directly with manufacturers or leading or leading the client’s entire team.
So, a contract template you’ll find online won’t spell out for you what exactly you do versus another consultant with the same title.
Even many lawyers who provide custom consulting agreement services won’t deep-dive into your services and will only give a general description, so it’s still not clear exactly what you actually do.
2. Your scope needs to be clear, or clients won’t respect your boundaries
That brings me to the next reason you need proper consulting agreement services: your scope must be crystal clear.
Many contract templates will leave a blank space for you to figure out how to define your scope.
Even many lawyers will just copy-paste your description of your services without formulating them in a way that defines your boundaries.
You need top-notch consulting agreement services to create an exact framework of where your services begin and end.
That way, it’s clear to your clients what they can expect from you. Otherwise, your clients will keep asking for more and more until you run their entire business!
Legal professionals who offer the right consulting agreement services will actually analyze what you do and create those boundaries for you.
3. Defining what’s not included will save you so much time and energy
That brings me to the next reason you need top-notch consulting agreement services: a full list of everything that is not included in your services.
The problem with most consulting contract templates I’ve seen is that they don’t even give you the space to define what your services don’t include. Even with custom contracts drafted by lawyers, they fail to outline what services are notincluded in a consultant’s scope of work.
The thing is that even if you define exactly what is included in your scope, clients will still assume certain adjacent services will also be included.
For example, if you help clients get connected with manufacturers for their products, they might expect you to handle all email communication and phone calls with those manufacturers directly.
That is if you don’t spell out that those services are actually not included.
And if you don’t do that, chances are you’ll continue to go a bit beyond your scope just to make your clients happy, costing you more time and energy, which you haven’t actually been paid for.
4. Generic disclaimers won’t cut it—you need niche-specific disclaimers
As a consultant, clients rely on you for your expertise. They put everything you say and do on a pedestal—which creates a lot more risk for liability.
They are more likely to hold you responsible and make claims against you than, say, a business analyst or coach.
Also, the niche you are in and the specific consulting services you provide come with different liabilities.
Thus, you need comprehensive disclaimers to protect against those niche and service-specific liabilities.
However, most paid and free consulting agreement services I’ve seen only include generic disclaimers for consultants with purely advisory roles. That just doesn’t cut it, leaving you exposed to potential claims or misunderstandings.
Anyone who provides consulting agreement services should analyze the type of consultant you are and create custom disclaimers, limitations of liability, and indemnities for your specific consulting business so you are fully protected.
5. Contracts that don’t limit communication will cost you money
Any consultancy Agreement for professional services will include general legalese that any service-based entrepreneur needs.
However, most of them won’t include one of the most crucial boundaries that any consultant will need: limits on communication.
Thus, you need the following communication boundaries that most contract templates and custom contracts don’t include:
A limit on the number of meetings you’ll have per week or month
A maximum time limit for each meeting (because some clients won’t stop talking)
A limit on the communication tools that may be used (otherwise, clients will contact you through text, Instagram, LinkedIn, Slack, Zoom, and however else they can get ahold of you)
By setting these communication boundaries, you’ll be able to focus on doing actual work and have a smoother workflow.
6. You need a contract that creates opportunities for more money
Most contracts do not create opportunities for more money.
They often include a fixed fee for the consulting services agreed upon, but what if...
A client changes their mind and wants additional services you didn’t initially agree upon?
A client wants extra meetings (and you have the time)?
A client wants to continue working with you after the project is done?
Most contracts I’ve seen are too rigid and do not create the flexibility to add on additional services. You’d need to have your client a whole new contract, just for one or two additional services. That’s unnecessary admin.
You need a flexible contract that includes money-making terms for additional services, creating opportunities for you to make more money!
7. Your contracts should protect your time—so you’re not working 24/7
Considering that consulting services are long-term commitments, not short-term, one-off projects, protecting your time is even more crucial.
So, there are a few boundaries you need on your time:
You need to set your working days and hours (including your time zone) so clients won’t expect you to answer the phone at 10PM.
You need to have the option to ‘freeze’ your contract, meaning the option to basically pause your services. You may need a week off to take care of your sick mother. Or you may want to go on a well-deserved vacation. You should have the autonomy to do that without having to terminate the contract.
You need a clear response time for emails so clients know how long it may take to receive a response (and they won’t start calling you 5 minutes after they send an email).
However, in most consulting contract templates and custom contracts, you won’t find any of that kind of language. Maybe one will include just your working hours, but that’ll be it.
You need a consulting contract that is actually practical and includes processes that ensure you not only get paid but also protect your time, energy, and boundaries!
The proper consulting agreement services should help create that dream life for you!
The ULTIMATE fluff free consulting agreement services
How my consulting agreement services will help you
When you choose my custom consulting agreement services, you’re getting a contract that’s designed specifically for your consulting niche and specific services. Here’s how I ensure your contract protects you:
Deep Understanding of Your Services: I take the time to understand your unique approach, whether you’re offering hands-on project management, long-term strategy, or something in between. Your contract will reflect that, with tailored clauses that define your role clearly.
Comprehensive Scope & Deliverables: Together, we’ll define the scope of your work and set clear, detailed deliverables so both you and your client know exactly what to expect and what is not included.
Industry-Specific Protections: I’ll craft niche-specific disclaimers to protect you against risks that are not only specific to consulting but also your niche and specific services.
Clear Terms for Meetings & Communication: I’ll ensure that your contract includes clear limits on the number of meetings and communication time, preserving your time for actual work, not endless calls and emails.
Money-making and protecting clauses: I’ll include clear clauses on extra fees for extra work, so you’ll never have to work for free, and I’ll include payment mechanisms that ensure you won’t work without getting paid.
Boundaries on time: I’ll include boundaries to protect your time, so you’ll have full control of your days, not your clients.
How my consulting agreement services work
The way my consulting services work is simple:
First, you simply purchase my consulting agreement services (make sure you choose the ‘Consulting Agreement’ option on this page) on my custom contract services page.
Within 72 hours after your purchase, you’ll receive a questionnaire in which you’ll provide all the information you need in as much detail as possible. Don’t worry! If any information is missing, I’ll reach out to you to ensure I have everything I need to create your custom consulting contract.
Once I have received all the information I need from you, I start creating your custom consulting agreement. The delivery time for your custom consulting contract is up to 7 days. Need your contract sooner? Simply order the 3-Day Rush Add-On to get it within 3 days!
Easy enough, right? That’s really all it should take to get top-notch consulting agreement services at an affordable price!
