One of the tenets of the business world is to underpromise and overdeliver. Essentially, this means that you go above and beyond the promises you made to your client when booking the project. If you plan the work flow correctly, there are several ways you can do this. Read below for some ideas.
– Finish all tasks under budget. If a client project takes 10 billable hours, see if you can get the work done in 9. You don’t have to do this for every project, but showing you are tolerant of a customer’s finances could gain you more projects down the line.
– Deliver the project ahead of schedule. When giving a client a deadline, it’s best to add on a few extra days in case of any hiccups, like a computer going down or a part getting delivered late. What’s great about those extra days is that if everything goes smoothly, you can be finished AND deliver the work early. This positions your company as one that act swiftly when needed.
– Go the extra mile. Sometimes, all it takes to be impressive is to do a little something extra that another company would not do. For example, you may be working on a project with a local company. Traditionally, you would work on the project, and the client would pick up the finished piece from your office. Here’s your “something extra.” Instead of having the client do the pick-up, hire a same day courier to deliver the piece directly to your client. This thoughtful step saves them a trip and helps your company image.