June 29, 2017

“Are you on vacation or something?”

While I was waiting for my veggie omelette this morning at the deli, I overheard a customer chatting with one of the clerks.

The customer was talking about his boat and how often he takes out on the bay. I came in halfway through the conversation, but it sounded like he took it out a lot.

The clerk asked, “Are you on vacation or something? How do you find the time?”

And the customer replied, “Nah, I’m not on vacation. I only work two days a week.”

For context, I should tell you that the customer was wearing an expensive outfit. When he headed outside with his food, he got into a Mercedes that probably cost $100k. And he apparently has a fancy boat.

Maybe the guy maxed out his credit card buying the duds. Maybe the car was not his. Maybe he was lying about the boat.

But I got the sense that he was legit. And if so, I’d be willing to bet that he doesn’t bill clients by the hour for those two days of work.

Ask yourself:

“Without taking a pay cut, is there any way I could get down to a two-day work week with the current products and services I offer?”

I’m not saying that your goal should be to only work two days per week.

I’m just pointing out that certain approaches - like billing by the hour for professional services - will never get you there.

If you’d like to work less and make more as an independent professional, you need to identify a range of packaging options for your expertise and then price those packages based on their value, not their cost.

Yours,

—J

P.S. Want to learn how to package your expertise in ways that make you more money in less time? There are only a few spots left in my private 1:1 mentoring program. Apply now -> https://jonathanstark.com/mentoring