Steve’s blog :
random musings of a professional scribbler

Two out of three ain’t bad…

To my mind, one of the greatest challenges faced by consultants today is not staying on top of the latest media trends, emerging markets or technological advances. Nor is it staving off yet another competitive threat, from a Young Turk with an Apple Mac, an iPhone and a mail order MBA.
It is, instead, what I call the “management of clients’ expectations”.
When I began freelancing, I made customer satisfaction my number one priority. And I set my stall out to ‘go the extra mile’. Mooting and costing alternative routes to market. Suggesting additional concepts, messages or market niches.
Throwing in a relevant White Paper, or research report. Keeping my expenses to a minimum.
And, invariably, completing each project ahead of schedule.
In other words: promising a realistic level of service. Then delivering just a little bit more.
In the early days, this approach worked well, earning me a great many referrals and recommendations. But there was a downside: over time, my clients began to expect ever faster turnarounds.
Comments like “Well, we know you said ‘Friday’, but we assumed you’d have the job with us by ‘Wednesday” became commonplace.
Consequently, I now have a maxim that I share with every client before embarking on any new project. It is this:
You can have it good. You can have it cheap. You can have it quick.
Pick any two.

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