Get stuff done quick or pay the price. Swamp Attack on Android has taught me that (great game BTW).
If you are a client of mine or know my style, you know I don’t mess around. I get my work done well, done quickly, return calls fast and like my clients to know they are well looked after and the like.
What I have learned in all this time (and from those who haven’t learned their lessons) is that you have to work ahead of deadlines. That is, if something is say due by Thursday – you really want to get it done and dusted by Tuesday.
At least 90% of the time, I get stuff done early – with the odd occasion of me working right up until a given deadline (let’s say if I just get more work than I can handle).
The importance of working quicker really comes to the surface from several viewpoints:
- Clients keep me over other suppliers because I deliver faster.
- It actually is less stressful getting stuff done earlier.
- If something else urgent comes in, you still make the deadlines.
This has happened to me before actually, let’s say I have to do an Email Newsletter for a big client and I must send it to them by Thursday 5PM.
Let’s say I start the job Thursday 3PM and I get an urgent call, or I find out I need some materials to get the email done. It could mean that I blow my deadline and when that happens with clients, you start rocking the relationship.
You go too far and you get a “Thank You + We are Done” email from them in your inbox the next morning. That is obviously not much fun (especially if they are a massive client) and when we work ahead of deadlines we give ourselves ‘Safe Time’ to get stuff done as we need to.
My advice and thinking awesome friends? Never treat a deadline as a delivery time. Try and get it done a few days earlier so if anything goes wrong, if you get a big project in or whatever – you still get it done.
That way your clients are happy and less stress on you.
A win / win I think!
Trust you enjoyed the read, stay awesome, please share and to exceeding those deadlines!
P.S. In Swamp Attack if you don’t kill the critters early enough, you will lose your house. A great metaphor here!
No responses yet