Questioning the Billable Hour is a three-part series leading many to conclude that price paid should reflect value provided, rather than time spent. The alternative proposed is value-based pricing, fixed up front (as part of the selling/buying process) backed by a satisfaction guarantee.
Questioning the Billable Hour part 1: The Sketch Artist, A Parable about Pricing
Paris, France, 1948: A young woman strolls along a downtown street and notices a man busily sketching a bowl of fruit. She stops.
“Do you sketch portraits?” she asks the man. “Yes, I do,” he replies, not looking up from the paper.
"Will you sketch a portrait of me, for me to take to my father? I am on my way to him now.”
The artist looks up from his drawing. “Yes. Have a seat.”
Three minutes later, the man presents a portrait to the young woman.
“It’s very good,” she says, not noticing the signature: Picasso. “How much do I owe you?” He replies, “Three thousand francs.”
“Three thousand!” she exclaims. “But it only took you three minutes!”
Looking into her eyes, the artist retorts, “No. It took me all of my life.”
- Glenn R. Harrington, Articulate Consultants Inc.
Three Reasons Why Independent Businesses Need Authentic Key Messages To Succeed
If your company does not already distinguish itself as uniquely valuable to a niche of the global economy, then your company needs to identify itself and its value proposition in the same few words as the ideal client would use, and propagate that key message in renewed marketing and brand management.
Key Messages Blunders Part 4: Getting It Wrong
In coining names, slogans, mottos, brand promises, and other key messages, many marketers for independent business simply get it wrong. They key: Really understand the ideal client first, then use their own words for authentic key messages that work.
Nine Reasons to Pay A Pro Editor to Review Documents for Publication
Many people find that a professional editor can make and suggest revisions more comprehensively, more constructively, and more contextually appropriate than software tools supplemented by a friend or colleague.
