Redline the contract

After you review the contract carefully, you’ll make your suggested edits. Usually this is done via redlining where edits are easily seen and tracked. It’s proper contracting etiquette to not make changes without letting the other side know what change was made. Be sure you’re using the track changes mode in your document software, and ask your client to do the same. There may be multiple rounds of redlining and accepting of edits, so be prepared for this step to take some time. When you find yourself going back and forth multiple times on a point in the contract, pick up the phone, or go meet in person to discuss the issue. Many times, they can be worked out more quickly and amicably than by sending documents with multiple layers of redlines back and forth. Every redline item is negotiable, so keep that in mind before you just accept changes without getting something in return for your concessions. At Thought Leaders, we had a major client where we were looking at the contract and going through the redlining process. The client wanted us to add in errors and omissions insurance. That was going to cost me a lot of money. I went back and said if we want to accept that edit, I’m going to remove a discount in the pricing section to even it out. Eventually, we hammered that out as an agreement. Negotiating isn’t done until the contract is signed. Redlining and editing can be tedious, but it’s an effective way to hammer out disagreements and agree upon acceptable contract language.