Its an early Monday morning here so I'm very short on brilliance...

On Documentation:
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What Tony said is very important to protect yourself in business dealings. If you don't document all correspondence you'll be amazed at how wrong customers' memories will become. And unless you have the proof, their memory tends to benefit themselves.

Another important thing to remember... sometimes during a contract a customer (or even a boss) will make a decision contrary to your advice or opinion that may risk the outcome of the contract. If you sense one of these critical moments, its a good idea to send a correspondence mentioned your advice and perception that this might create trouble later on.

This can be done very subtle. Customers often do not want stronger contradiction. If you think you'll need this email or letter in the future to show that your advice was not listened to, compose it for that purpose, with just enough detail for proof but not enough to start a new sequence of meetings.

Important issues are usually handled in meetings which is the place we attempt to steer a customer in the right direction. Correspondence is a protective followup for your own protection.

After getting my MBA, I learned a lot of persuasive tricks to use on clients. Many times when you take a polarized opposite position from someone else in a debate, they stop listening to you and only think about what they'll say next while you're talking. To combat this, I work upon an opponent's fear by saying something like, "That's a very bold decision to make and few managers would take such a position considering the career risks of being wrong. I congratulate you on your confidence. However, you might want to consider these factors to reduce that risk..."

Remember that documentation can be a subtle safety net. If a decision is made that you even agree with, but that you feel some risks are involved, a clever correspondence documenting it can be useful later on if everyone is looking for someone to blame.

aka J