November 13, 2016

Profit isn’t always measured in dollars...

This weekend my in-laws took the kids for two whole nights - which was like, omg wow thank you!

So... the wife and I took the opportunity to get a head start on our Christmas shopping. We ended up spending a few hundred bucks on a wide variety of stuff like presents, decorations, cards, and so on.

Of all the things we purchased, not a single one - not one thing - was something we needed. None of it will give us any financial return on investment whatsoever.

However:

We did get a positive ROI from every purchase.

Could this ROI be measured absolutely, mathematically, precisely in dollars?

No, of course not.

It was measured in happiness.

We were happier having spent the money than not spending it. Increased happiness - as imprecise as it is - represents a profit. A positive ROI.

This dynamic is present in every financial transaction, including those between you and your clients.

If your clients are happier after your intervention than before, they have profited. It’s as simple as that.

This is why it’s so important to have a Why Conversation before quoting a job for your clients... if you know what will make them happy, you’re much more likely to be able to deliver it.

Yours,

—J