I always love the first visible flush of activity by Mother Nature as we enter a new year in England. I was out with friends and on our walk masses of new snowdrops were to be seen everywhere in the woodland we were passing through. Whilst they seem to have appeared, almost as if magically overnight, I guess they had been surfacing for some time. It was just the emergence of the spectacular white flower that drew attention against the green or brown background.
I am sure that I have written about these small and wonderful flowers before but I never tire of seeing them surface. I am told by people who know better than I, there are numerous varieties. Yet to the casual eye they seem to be very similar albeit sometimes there are different sizes – which I am sure I have thought was merely the state of growth or maturity of the bulb from which they have surfaced.
As much as I love the determined nature of these flowers I am not minded to become an expert! I just love to see them. Sometimes, when I have been walking, they are true to their name and pop out of the snow, and this casts a wonderfully different enjoyment to the flower that you see here basking in the sun, albeit it was very cold.
As we were walking in a fairly popular area other people were admiring the carpet of blooms on display too. It was in one of the friendly conversations that someone made a casual observation ‘they are such a simple plant’. We nodded in agreement, and in many ways that is their pleasure – just green and white on display.
Now as we carried on our way it was this casual comment that came back to my mind. Yes, they are a simple pleasure and yet on closer inspection they are far from simple. And the statement at the top of this article burst into my mind: “You try making one!”
Now there’s a challenging thought! I know it would be an enormously tough task, especially as there are lots of different varieties too. So how would you even start to make this ‘simple plant’?
As so often happens this simple thought made me think of the many things that we take for granted. The huge effort needed to create something that we now treat as a daily commodity, an expectation that everything works and is available when we need it.
Now I am not suggesting that we analyse everything that we come across – that would be so tedious. What it did though was made me think about some of the things that perhaps take much more effort than we realise.
So just one main question and a follow-on question to ponder:
1. What do you do so well and seemingly with so little effort that your customers or clients may think it is ‘simple’?
2. Have you helped them to appreciate the effort and skill you are putting in for their benefit?
As a mean to illustrate this I have recently completed a piece of work for a new client. They were delighted, so I submitted my fees. Much to my surprise they got back in contact and said they hadn’t realised just what I had done and what had been involved (I merely stated a few of the things in the invoice). They then asked for another invoice as they thought my charges were….too low.
Now I am not suggesting that you send them a workshop manual on what you do to attempt to justify a massive price hike. All I am suggesting is to acknowledge to yourself the expertise you have developed. And, at times, help your customer better understand what you make seem easy may just be a little more complex than they had realised. Often to the person who buys on price and time pressure this is irrelevant; to the more discerning buyer it can increase the pleasure of the service or product.
And just for the record, I haven’t adjusted my fees although I will explain a little more clearly what I do with my next new client.
If you need some advice do get in touch.
My best wishes,
Peter
