| I’m sure I’ve written on this topic before but I feel compelled to write on it now. Probably the single most important thing a professional of any kind can do is to set realistic expectations. These expectations have to take into account all kinds of things–unknown variables, market forces, the professional’s ability level and more. The problem is that many professionals are either ignorant of some of these things or are afraid that being realistic will cost them the job. The reality is, being unrealistic and not forthcoming, will cost them much more in dissatisfied customers and future jobs through referrals. I find the opposite to be true too. If I set realistic expectations and at least meet them (always try to exceed them), I will usually get the job. If I don’t then I do question if that was really a job for me anyway. In addition, I get more referrals because that client knows I was honest with them and not just telling them what they want to hear in order to get the job. It is refreshing to not hear the fluff but to have a clear picture of what to expect in a complicated process. No one really likes surprises (not this kind anyway) and people want their professionals to understand the environment and to have a plan to navigate it. They can build off of that. I’ve run into this issue so much in the last year. My life has been absolute chaos because of unclear, unrealistic and just downright false expectations that were set and perpetuated by, ultimately, liars and crooks. I have learned this lesson in abundance and have matured substantially in understanding how important expectations are. Honestly, accurate expectations may be more important than the actual results themselves. I know that is kind of a crazy statement but hear me out. If someone says, “I can get it done in this period of time but it will be a rush job and may not be the quality you want. OR I can take my time, get it done in this period of time and it will be exactly what you want.” Or how about this one, “I know how to do what you want. I am not an expert per se, but I will be much cheaper than the experts. I do feel like I can do a good job, but perhaps not a great job. Here is someone that will do a great job but is probably 3x the cost.” Wouldn’t THAT be refreshing!!! The thing about realistic expectations is that it puts the decision making back on the customer. They can decide what is important when it comes to price, quality, speed, etc. If you don’t set those realistic expectations, it is basically a lie and takes away the client’s decision making ability. So, the moral of the story as a consumer is to ask for references. Also, if the news doesn’t fit your initial expectations, ask questions, try to poke holes in the presentation. You will be much better off not believing something that seems too good to be true. Trust me on this. |
