Do you ever read something that seems to haunt you?
I woke up in the middle of the night in cold sweats thinking about this one. I read a Seth Godin post over the weekend, and, as usual, his words struck a chord. This time, however, I could not just post a tweet and go on about my business. I was struck by this one line:
Employees and freelancers that produce more than they cost are worth hiring.
Too often, it seems, that we can hide behind rationalizations for what we do. We paint these pictures with huge self-congratulation, but at the end of the day, are we producing more than we are charging?
One of those statements you hope everybody is asking themselves constantly, eh?
This is why I like value-based fees (versus hourly) in the style of:
* Alan Weiss
* David Winch
* Ron Baker
* Jonathan Stark
Done properly they shift the dynamics of projects and client relationships tremendously. Far more than simply having a different “fee strategy” would suggest. It’s not about the fees, it’s about the intense mutual emphasis on the results, “pushing back” to really understand where the client is coming from (and wanting to go) instead of just understanding the surface tasks/goals, and standing behind what you do by accepting responsibility for the impact your work will have.
-jr