Want to Succeed? Remember, this is a Service Industry


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Okay, so here is the second biggest tip I can give you (after “get off your butt and do something.”). This one tip can shift your entire attitude from “struggling to keep your head above water” to “sunning yourself on the beach”: under-promise and over-deliver.

*Gasp*

I can hear it now. “But Danny,” you say. “You have to make a great impression! You have to impress the client! To gain their trust! To wow them with your incredible abilities to get the job done!”

You’re right. And the way to do that is to consistently come in under deadline and on budget. And if you don’t leave yourself room to do that when you’re quoting your fee and your timeline, you’re going to be sweating bullets every minute of every day, trying to get every job in on time.

The best way to be consistently on-budget is to quote per-project, rather than per-hour. However long it takes, you know what you’ll be making and they know what they’ll be paying. So there’s no fear on either end. Just don’t forget to factor in time for edits, communication, research, travel time, etc.

The best way to come in under deadline is to give yourself some breathing room. If you think you can complete the job by Wednesday, tell the client they’ll have it by Friday…but still aim for Wednesday. You don’t know what might happen on Tuesday that might prevent you from working on the job. If you think a job should take 25 hours over four weeks to complete, quote 25 hours over six weeks instead.

Promise 12 concepts, then give them 20. Promise a 5-postcard series, and give then 8 cards to choose from.

You can give them more than they expect without killing yourself to do it, because YOU are in charge of setting the expectations to begin with. Under promise and over deliver every time, and you’ll get more repeat business and more referrals. And pretty soon you’ll be beating away business with a stick

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