“Could you just...?" – small requests, big implications

Whenever a client makes a request, there’s one word that frequently jumps out:

“Just.”

This innocent-sounding little word has a remarkable ability to reduce the apparent scale of whatever follows it.

This isn’t always done maliciously. In fact, I suspect that in the majority of cases it’s an unintentional reflex.

Your client may genuinely not appreciate what’s involved in what they’re requesting.

But its effect is the same.

“Could you just make this one small change?”

“Could you just combine this design with that one?”

“Could you just show us one more creative direction?”

“Could you just give me Option 2, but for the price of Option 1?”

Or even the prosaic: “Could you just make the logo a bit bigger?”

You get the picture.

In every case, the word “just” suggests that the request is insignificant. Minor. Trivial, even.

It’s a tiny verbal anaesthetic, intended to make the question that follows a little less painful.

Worse, it can make you feel churlish and unreasonable if you don’t accept it. After all, they’re only asking you to do one small thing. Why would you make such a fuss?

The problem, of course, is that the “one small thing” may have a significant impact on the scope, timing, cost or quality of your work.

And “just” is trying to disguise them.

How to respond

So, what should you do in the face of such a request?

The first thing is to resist the urge to simply give in and answer “Yes”.

But equally, you shouldn’t immediately refuse.

A good way to start is by trying to understand the thinking behind their question. That usually means asking a question in return.

For example:

“Where’s that coming from?”

“What’s driving that request?”

“Tell me more about your concern.”

“What are you hoping this change will achieve?”

“Has something changed since we agreed the brief?”

Or perhaps:

“What's the problem we're trying to solve?”


These questions aren’t intended to be confrontational. You’re not cross-examining your client. You’re simply trying to uncover the origin, context and objective of their request before deciding how to respond.

Sometimes, getting a client to articulate this will reduce the urgency or importance of the request. They may even realise for themselves that it isn’t necessary.

On other occasions, putting yourself in their shoes and understanding the request more fully will help you see that it’s not so unreasonable after all.

Perhaps something has changed internally. A new stakeholder may have appeared. Or their boss may have developed a sudden and deeply personal interest in logo sizes.

Either way, you’re in a much better position to respond once you understand what’s really going on.

Another useful technique, particularly if the request is genuinely unreasonable, is to repeat it back to them.

“So, let me make sure I’m understanding this correctly. You’re asking us to develop an additional creative route, within the existing budget, without moving the deadline?”

Make sure you leave out the word “just”.

Your objective isn’t to exaggerate their request or make them feel foolish. It’s simply to return the request to its full size by spelling out the implications that their “just” conveniently obscured.

Then shut up.

Use the power of an uncomfortable pause. Resist the urge to fill it.

Often, when clients hear their request articulated in less favourable — but more accurate — terms, they’ll soften a little.

Even if they don’t, you’ve created the opportunity for a proper negotiation.

Five principles for pushing back

1. Resist with a smile on your face

Literally. Smile while you’re replying.

It’ll change what you say, how you say it and, most importantly, how it lands.

Holding your ground doesn’t have to be defensive or combative. A calm, friendly response shows that you’re taking their request seriously without being intimidated by it.

2. Beware of precedent

You might think that saying yes is the easiest way to maintain a good client relationship. It rarely is.

If you accommodate an unreasonable request once, it’s likely to happen again. And each time it does, it becomes harder to say no.

Clients learn how to work with you partly from what you allow. If every additional request is absorbed without discussion, they’ll reasonably assume it isn’t a problem.

Give them an inch and, as the saying goes, they’ll take a mile. And it’ll be marked “urgent”.

3. Hold firm

Be matter-of-fact.

Find different ways to politely say no:

“We can do that, but it would mean moving the deadline.”

“I understand why you’re asking, but I wouldn’t recommend it.”

“We could prioritise this, although we’d need to pause the other work.”

“That isn’t included in the current scope, but we can provide a separate estimate.”

And don’t apologise unnecessarily — something those of us in England find particularly difficult. We’ll apologise when somebody walks into us.

Be firm on the substance, gentle in the delivery. Iron fist in velvet glove.

4. Get something in return

Saying yes to your client’s request might be necessary. But that doesn’t mean it has to be a bad thing for you.

In fact, it could benefit you.

Perhaps accommodating the request will enable you to negotiate a little more time.

Maybe something else can be removed from the scope, or deprioritised.

Or, if what’s being requested is additional work, there should be an additional fee.

The important thing is that you negotiate rather than simply concede.

“If we do this, then we’ll need that” is one of the most useful principles in any commercial conversation.

5. Win:win

These situations are rarely black and white. In general, nobody is entirely right or wrong. There’s usually nuance at play.

Your client has objectives to meet, stakeholders to manage, and a budget and deadline to stick to.

You have a responsibility to protect your team, your commercial interests and the quality of the work.

So you should aim for a win:win outcome.

Hopefully, you’ll be able to accommodate the client’s request once you’ve fully understood it. 

And, if the request has implications for the scope, timing or cost, they’ll recognise that something needs to change in return.

That’s not being difficult. It’s what a healthy commercial relationship looks like.

Make “just” the start of a conversation

When a client asks, “Could you just…?”, don’t let one small word rush you into giving a definitive answer.

Pause. Ask questions. Understand what’s driving the request.

Repeat it back, with all its implications intact.

And then negotiate an outcome that works for both parties.

These apparently minor moments can have a significant effect on an agency’s profitability, its work and its relationships with clients.

They’re exactly the kind of real-world situations we explore in my Negotiating with clients course, part of my Commercial Skills training programme.

Resisting an unreasonable request doesn’t require confrontation.

It requires curiosity, confidence and the right words at the right moment.

The next time you hear “Could you just…?”, don’t treat it as a request you have to accept.

Consider it an invitation to negotiate.

What’s your go-to response when a client asks, “Could you just…?”

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