I recently dipped my toes into the murky waters of Internet shopping to buy a laptop bag. The bag I wanted was robust, boasted plenty of storage space, and would definitely be more than a match for my 15.4 inch laptop. Best of all, it looked great, with or without the extremely useful raincover. The whole package should have cost me over £60, but I picked my bag up for just over £30 from Amazon. It even arrived when they said it would. So it’s well done to the amazing cybersellers.

This positive story got me thinking about the times people promise more than they can deliver. Imagine how annoyed I would have been if my Port Chamonix hadn’t come complete with the promised raincover. The pictures and copy mentioned the cover... but what if someone somewhere in the mysterious world of cybershopping had decided not to fulfil their side of the bargain? I would obviously feel cheated – and have a wet bag in due course.

The seller could have said “yes” and took my money in the full knowledge that he or she was providing an inferior product. Thankfully they didn’t. But on another day I could have found myself ripped off and out of pocket.

Obviously in the commercial world the size of contracts is bigger and the potential to screw up greater than your average Amazon buy. So the need for clarity about your offer and what it costs is even more important. Here are some client management tips to stop you promising more than you can deliver:

· Meet your client and draw up a brief. This is your guide to the development of the project and the relationship
· Agree milestones, deadlines and budgets
· Provide regular feedback by the most appropriate method: e-mail, phone or in person
· Stick to the brief
· Talk about issues and problems that arise, don’t lie about progress or setbacks or hide your head in the sand!
· Give added value at every opportunity

Hopefully these basic tips will keep you on the straight and narrow. Now send in your own client management tips and let’s get a debate going!