The Client Letter
August 6, 2012
Sedona, Arizona
Cloudy 72 degrees
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Have you ever lost $105,000 in client fees by screwing up? I have… Let me save you from the hassle. Details here.
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One of the biggest mistakes I’ve made (too many times to admit) is to “give away the farm” when a client hires me for a project.
Instead of bringing the one type of “wrench” required for the project, I would show up with my entire toolbox open and ready to be used.
In my head, it went something like this, “The client hired me, the client gave me money, I’m all in.” And so I’d go to work like a mad man, “over delivering” every chance I got.
Wrong. FAIL. Go to jail. Do not pass GO, do not collect $200.
The only source I can trace this behavior to is an unhealthy habit of trying to please by “over delivering.” It is simply another symptom of one little boy’s endless search for approval.
Oh, and sprinkled in is also the belief that I have to struggle in order to get paid a lot of money.
Now “over delivering” is one of those business buzz words that has a different meaning to everyone. In the service business, “over delivering” the wrong way can have very harmful side effects.
First of all, you run the risk of having all of this “over delivering” completely lost on a client who is really in no position to assign the proper value to your work.
You’re the expert remember? And that often means your client doesn’t understand and is not in a position to properly appreciate the work you’re doing. It’s not their fault, it’s just reality.
The second harmful side effect of “over delivering” is that it can keep you poor and ruin your life for no good reason.
“Over delivering” might make your conscience feel good for a moment, until you realize how exhausted, run down and frustrated you’ve become. Then you begin to resent your client… which is the only target available for resentment that is really meant for you. Deep down, you know that it’s your fault for creating such a mess.
So what do you do if you’ve gotten caught up in the “over delivering” death spiral and find it leads to nowhere but misery?
You stop it. 🙂
If you need to transform your business quickly and inject more cash to your bottom line, consider breaking your services into pieces that are properly valued. Most likely this will result in a sizable raise.
Your job is now to create the marketing required to SELL it. (Note, this is much easier than all that extra work you’ve been doing for peanuts.)
Doing something like this could have an enormous positive effect on profitability. Plus, your client is better served because you (the service provider) are not running around like a chicken without a head.
Second, the client has a better understanding of what they are paying for and why.
Third, you’re happier and your bank account and life are richer for it.
Offering your client everything but the kitchen sink is a way to go crazy fast.
Don’t do it.
You deserve better.