‘Could we just add…’ is a very small beginning for what can become a very large afternoon. The new slide needs new copy. The new copy needs new research. The quick tweak now has its own postcode.
Usually, nobody set out to make the project confusing. The client can see the thing they want changed; you can see all the work connected to it. Bringing those two views together is part of a useful working relationship.
A revision and a new request do different jobs
A revision refines the agreed deliverable. A new request changes what is being delivered, who it is for, how it works or how much is needed. The boundary depends on the actual agreement, so begin with the brief rather than a rule you have only introduced now.
For a fictional brand project, changing an agreed colour treatment may fit a review round. Adding packaging artwork is a new deliverable. A website ‘button change’ might be a visual adjustment, or it might introduce a booking system. Ask what the request needs to achieve before pricing its size.
Pause before your helpful reflex says yes
You can acknowledge the idea without immediately committing to the work. ‘That could be useful. Let me check what it changes’ is a perfectly helpful response. It gives you room to examine the files, dependencies and schedule.
Consider the work it creates elsewhere: testing, exports, copy, approvals and delivery. If you only count the visible edit, the rest can become an accidental gift you did not mean to offer.
Give the client a choice they can understand
Explain the effect in plain terms. You might offer the original plan, an added deliverable with an added fee, or a swap that keeps the project within the same budget. A budget limit can be real; so can a limit on what fits inside it.
For example: ‘We can add the presentation template for A$250 and deliver on Thursday, or keep the original scope and Tuesday handover. Which works better?’ The amount and dates here are fictional. The useful part is making the options visible.
Record the yes
Keep the change, fee, timeline and approval together with the original quote. A phone conversation can move the decision along, then a written recap can help both of you remember what was agreed.
If you decide a small addition is included as goodwill, say so clearly. That gives the client context without turning a one-off favour into an unlimited promise. For regulated work, use the variation process and advice appropriate to your industry.
Make the next brief a little clearer
Repeated requests are useful feedback. They may reveal something clients regularly assume is included, such as source files, multiple formats or an extra review round. Explain that boundary earlier next time.
A clear quote is a friendly map, not a trapdoor of exclusions. Keep the deliverables and accepted changes with the invoice so the final amount tells a story the client already recognises.