23
Unpopular opinion: the best client management tip I got was from a mechanic in Tulsa
He told me to always under-promise on timing and over-deliver on results, and after I tried it on a tricky floor refinish job last month where I quoted 5 days and finished in 3, the homeowner referred me to 2 neighbors so now I'm booked solid for the next 6 weeks, anyone else get good advice from a totally unrelated field?
3 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In3 Comments
caseywalker7h ago
Under-promising just sets you up for negotiations where clients want to squeeze you down to your worst estimate since they know you always beat it. You're leaving money on the table by lowballing your timeline.
1
evan_grant705h ago
Casey, I feel you on this one. Had a client just last month who saw my estimate, smiled, and said "I know you'll finish ahead of schedule so let's just plan on that." Pushed me to cut my price by 15% because they assumed my timeline had padding. It stung. I get that under-promising builds trust but it can also teach clients to never take your word at face value. That's a hard line to walk.
6
cora_west57h ago
@caseywalker I get what you're saying about leaving money on the table but that mechanic's advice has saved me way more headaches than it's cost me. Sometimes the steady referrals from happy clients beat trying to squeeze every dollar out of one job.
-1