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Terms and conditions are often viewed as one of the less glamorous aspects of business; a snooze-worthy afterthought that’s often hashed together from dense jargon and unfriendly legalese, but widely understood as necessary to include nonetheless.
What’s often missing from the equation, is the intent of said terms: the fostering of a mutually harmonious and transparent relationship between you and your customer.
So, how to best present your terms and conditions in a way that reduces the risk that they may be skipped over or misinterpreted?
Part of the package
Your best bet to ensure that you’ve always got your terms and conditions included on all Quotes, is to include your standard terms and conditions on your default Template, and get into the practice of using this Template to create any new Quotes.
Keep it simple
How simple and straightforward can your terms and conditions be to ensure everything is read and understood?
If you wanted to ensure your customers could skim just a handful of points, what would be the most important to mention?
Oftentimes, terms and conditions become lengthy, unwieldy tomes that nobody reads. Protect yourself against this, by including a brief summary of the most important aspects that need to be communicated. If more lengthy details need to be included for legal reasons, the full, unabridged version can be attached as a file, so your customers aren’t overwhelmed at first glance.
As mentioned in our Five Best Practices and Insider Tips, the wording used should always be reviewed by your legal team, to ensure that everything is legally sound for both parties.
The goal here is to prioritize clarity so that your terms are an opportunity for reassurance and communication, rather than jumping to protect yourself against any possible souring of the business relationship legally.
Engage in good faith
Your customers want to do business with you because they’ve heard good things about you, seen the great things you do, and are genuinely interested in working with you. Don’t punish your customers for their interest in your work; where possible avoid writing your terms like you’re trying to protect yourself from every possible negative outcome with your customers from the outset.
Make your terms easy to understand, and assume good faith.