Two Out of Three Makes You a Winner: Delivering Great Service without Destroying Your Life

I am a bit fuzzy about the most important project I ever worked in my previous career—except it shapes the way I run my business. I remember the project directly affected national security, was classified above Top Secret, and would be read by people whose names I saw regularly on the front page of the Washington Post. I’ll tell you what I learned because I hope it will help you run your practice and manage your life a little better.

Just like that first email from your last client, my project came at a very busy time. And, just like your last client, the general officer who asked my help had a large personal stake in the outcome. And perhaps like your last client, I had never done precisely this kind of project before. And perhaps just like you, I signed up enthusiastically and agreed to a deadline I should have thought about twice.

When it was all done, my mentor took me aside. “Next time,” he said, “try using this.” He handed me his business card. Puzzled, I just stared at him. “Turn it over,” he said.

There, on the back of the card, was a single column of three boxes. This is what it looked like:

❑ Good  

❑ Cheap

❑ Fast

Pick any two!

For a moment, I didn’t get it. Then it became very clear: If you want it good and fast, it won’t be cheap; if you want it cheap and fast, it won’t be good. You get the idea. Now I want you and your clients to get the idea too by adapting the model that has served me so well. 

If I had the same thing on the back of my business card, I would print it with the word “Good” already checked. And I would say: “Check any one of the remaining two boxes.” Good is not negotiable. 

I know you’re tempted sometimes to take on a project you know you shouldn’t, but you need a little extra money. That extra money costs way too much. The résumé you write may have your client’s name at the top, but it is your résumé. It will always help define your brand. Because your work is excellent, those in the know will want to hire you. 

But if you charge low rates you’re not making enough to grow your business. Because your prices are low, those who do not know you may go elsewhere; they think they get what they pay for. Those who have little to offer will seek you out, but you can’t do much to help them. And so, they may blame you for their failures.

Consider the résumé writer (usually not a member of a professional organization like PARWCC) who churns out “cookie cutter” résumés at very low cost. He charges less because his labor is less. 

But his brand is defined for him—by his clients (whose “cookie cutter” résumés keep them from the best jobs) and by perspective employers (who recognize hackneyed writing when they see it). His brand is: cheap. He is the Spirit Airlines of résumé writers. 

It only gets worse. Others in our industry would never refer a client to him. Because he has no new ideas, he never contributes to the literature, you never see him at professional conferences. If his work didn’t reflect so poorly on our industry, he would be irrelevant. That is why greatness in what you do is never negotiable.

While “cheap” isn’t something we want to be associated with either, it does remind us about levels of investment we set and the value we deliver. There are two important ideas referenced in that previous sentence.

First, I never refer to “price.” I like neither the denotation nor the connotation. Webster’s definition: “…that which must be done, sacrificed, suffered, etc. in return for something …a price on someone’s head…to have one’s price, to be willing to be bribed if the bribe is big enough.”

Invest, on the other hand, is much closer to the mark: “to expect a yield, profit or income.” Even the secondary meaning is positive, “to confer an office or rank upon.” In short, I expect my clients to make or save more money than it costs to engage me. That’s a grand thing for me to believe. But it counts for nothing if my clients don’t believe it.

We want our clients to see return on their investment. The greater the investment, the greater the likelihood of a big return. Where does “cheap” fit in? It reminds us to tailor the services we offer to the level of investment our clients can make. And we’re talking about more than money. 

Consider two clients. Both are senior. Both have great track records. Both need about the same services. One is very busily employed; the other is between jobs. Should the levels of investment—can the levels of investment—be the same?

My unemployed client can make a much greater investment in time. That means I have to do less work. His level of investment is appropriately lower. On the other hand, my working client’s days are not her own. I must do more of the work. Her investment is correspondingly higher. The same reasoning is behind the services we offer.

People pay me more when I prepare Federal applications. Why? Because Federal applications are arduous. Time is money. 

Even when there are no forms, the difficulty of the task raises the amount I charge. Those who have written Senior Executive Service applications know exactly what I mean. The writing standards are very high indeed. Quality costs money.

Time is money in another way as well. That’s where “fast” comes in. You can usually spot potential clients who want to know, right up front, how much you charge for a résumé. What they probably want is your price for doing a résumé overnight or over the weekend. 

If they could see the back of your “improved” business card, the only word that would blare out at them is “FAST.” If you agree to this arrangement, you both paid too high a price. 

Naturally, you charged the client more for night or weekend work. And you incurred the cost of time away from your family and the extra fatigue that comes from working two weeks straight. We avoid such waste by remembering the first standard: “Good.”

Good defeats most arbitrarily imposed deadlines. Your client may think he needs a résumé right now, but what he really wants is a job. Guide him to see the difference in terms that serve you, your client and his next boss. Let’s listen in:

Caller: “How much do you charge for a résumé? I need mine updated right away.”

Coach: “Are you trying to meet a very tight deadline? I ask because I like my clients to help set the level of investment so they get top value.”

Caller: “Yes, they said they needed a résumé by tomorrow morning.”

Coach: “I can see the pressure they’ve put you under. Let’s see how we can help them and still get the best value for you. People who want your résumé need your help to fill a job right away. Someone thinks you are a good candidate. He’s putting his credibility on the line when he forwards your résumé. Does that make sense?”

Caller: “I think so. But if I don’t get the résumé to them by COB tomorrow, I may not get the job.”

Coach: “So let’s offer that person an alternative. Tell him you understand his problem. And your first thought was to give him the résumé you have now. But you want him to get the credit for helping hire the right person. So, if he can trade a little time for a lot of quality, wouldn’t he prefer a document tailored right to his company’s needs? 

Rather than being dismissed at not meeting some arbitrary deadline, I think you’ll be seen as ready to do something extra to meet the company’s needs. There are very few jobs indeed that can’t go unfilled for a few days.” 

I have lost a few sales with that approach. What if the caller persists in his unreasonable deadline? You could update his résumé, but you need information from him after normal business hours today. Of course, you want to be sure your client has time to review the draft. Since the company wants the résumé in the morning, that means the client must come in before normal business hours tomorrow to complete the review. It’s going to be a long night for him. 

However, it will be an even longer night for you. You must give your undivided attention to this project. Specifically, you may work until midnight, and then come in early. All these things you are happy to do, but there is an express charge.

How much should the express charge be? Large enough to meet your needs. I hate working weekends or through the night. So I kept doubling the express charge until I knew no one could afford it. Today, a client would have to pay me an additional $4,000 to work under those conditions. 

The reason I know that is a ridiculous amount is simple: I haven’t worked through the night or over a weekend in more than five years! And if I ever get a client who will pay $500 above the normal investment, I will do two things. First, I will admit my plan failed. Second, I will raise the express charge to $1,000!

It is up to us to maximize our efficiency. Simply put, we must write truly exceptional job search documents quickly. We can speed up our writing in several ways.

Put Word to work. It’s amazing how much time you save when you exploit automated templates, AutoText and AutoCorrect, high speed desktop search engines, unattended backups and security scans. If any of those terms are new to you, pick just one and master it. 

Each time you use a software trick, you save only a few seconds. Each time you use several software tricks, you are saving a minute or more. How many documents do you produce in a year? If your answer is around 160, then you will save 240 minutes each year. That’s six work weeks!

Put your self-discipline to work. Because time management fills many books, I won’t dwell on it. But I offer this suggestion: treat yourself as you would your best client. When you commit to writing a résumé, commit to scheduling yourself uninterrupted time to complete the task. You’ll be amazed at what a lack of distractions can do for you. Promising yourself time to write the documents means you can promise your client a fixed review date, something that gives her peace of mind.

Put your professional development to work. You’re already doing some of that now as you read this issue of The Spotlight. But I’m going to suggest a better approach. Decide which skills you need to master, then pick just one and follow through. 

Do you want to expand your coaching skills, then consider the CPCC coaching program like the one offered by Diane Hudson. Do you need to sharpen how you help clients negotiate for salary, benefits, perks, and severance? 

My mentor from long ago with his magic business card had something new. He introduced me to the difference between value and features. 

Our brand is a promise of value, not a collection of features. That value rests on greatness. What remains is how quickly and at what level of investment we deliver greatness. When we do that with our clients well, they win…and so do we and our families.