You win the client, onboard them well, and the service runs. Months later you check the numbers — and the margin’s gone. Why? The contract drifted.
Minimum order quantities softened (“just this once” became “just as usual”). A new packing/label spec crept in. Customer service picked up extra tasks. Volumes never materialised. The client praises your flexibility but you’re delivering a different contract to the one you priced. And without clear checkpoints or timely numbers, the slide went unnoticed.
What to watch
- MOQs (minimum order quantities) and batch sizes
- Pack/label/spec changes
- Extra customer service tasks (returns, reporting, ad-hoc calls)
- Delivery frequency and split shipments
- Missing volume commitments
Fix it with simple guardrails
- Baseline + change log: lock the original SOW (scope of work), specs, and MOQs at onboarding; log every deviation.
- Rate card + de-minimis: small changes billed on the next invoice; bigger changes require a variation order.
- Monthly margin snapshot by client: one page showing revenue, direct cost, time, and variance versus price.
- QBRs (quarterly business reviews): show outcomes and cost-to-serve; agree resets before “just this once” becomes “always.”
Say “yes” to flexibility — but price it. Goodwill isn’t free.