What You Think You’re Selling Ain’t What Your Clients Are Buying

When you’re focused on delivering your expertise, it can be easy to start believing that’s what your clients are actually buying. But is it really?

We say no. Clients want outcomes—your expertise is simply the vehicle you use to deliver the transformation your client is seeking.

Which means you need to think about how to position, measure and price the work you’re proposing (hint: it’s not about how many hours it will take).

Quotables

– “Are you taking your clients on the scenic route to nowhere?”—JS

– “Measure what your client values.”—RM

– “How can you hit a home run if you don’t know where the wall is?”—JS

– “There’s always something to measure. Otherwise, your clients wouldn’t know anything was wrong.”—JS

– “If you don’t think you can have a positive impact, you shouldn’t be proposing.”—RM

– “Consultants push back. Freelancers don’t.”—JS

– “Billing by the hour sets the expectation that you’re interchangeable.”—JS