Fast, Cheap or Good. Pick Two
It’s common in the trades to say to quibbling customers, “You can have it fast, you can have it cheap, or you can have it good. Pick two.”
In other words, says the plumber or the electrician, I can do this well and at a cheaper price, but you’re going to have to wait. Or, I can drop everything else and bring on two helpers, and we’ll immediately do a great job, but it’s going to cost you dearly. Or, I can do it right away at a bargain price, but it may not work after I leave the building.
Professionals don’t always understand this formula, more often than not prioritizing work according to the shrillness of client demands or the shininess of the new case. Before we know it, we have a desk full of problematic work, angry phone calls and too many evenings spent trying to catch up.
Forcing the client to make choices and agree to the terms of the relationship is fundamental to professional success.
Unless the deal between the professional and the client is clearly understood from the beginning, it’s inevitable that disappointment will set in on both sides. The client will complain of being overcharged and under-served, and the professional will feel cheated, unappreciated, and imposed upon.
The importance of committing the entire professional-client deal to writing at the outset, and keeping it evergreened, cannot be overemphasized. If you do this, client satisfaction will be greater, while the professional can make some reasonable money and still have a life. And that’s probably one of the main reasons you went to professional school.