This originally appeared on the old blog. It was the only post that ever got any attention so I thought it should have a home here. I’ve updated it to reflect some of the things I’ve learned since writing it, but it’s more or less as it was. It’s kind of good to know that my values haven’t changed recently.
These aren’t the ten commandments or the law, everyone is different and approaches their customers differently. This is just my manifesto for how to treat customers & approach projects. It’s short, but it covers things that a lot of businesses get wrong. That’s not to say I get it right — but it’s somewhere to hang my hat when customers ask why I do (or don’t do) something.
You could swap out CFD for any other flavour of CAE, it’s just written this way because that’s what I do. Realistically, it’s most likely applicable to all small consulting businesses.
Rule 1: Thou shall not CFD for CFD’s sake
This is not a science project. If you’re not making the topic of your project faster / cheaper / lighter / stronger or just better — you might as well not be doing it, let alone charging for it;
Rule 2: Tell them how much it’ll cost
Your customer probably isn’t interested how many days you spent on their problem or what that equates to in your arbitrary day rate. They have a budget to spend and they want it delivered within that budget. “Sorry, we haven’t fixed your problem but we have spent all your money” isn’t a good conversation starter near invoicing time;
Rule 3: Ask questions…
…then shut up & listen to the answers. Your client knows more about their problem than you. They probably don’t know what the answer is — but then neither will you if don’t listen.
Rule 4: Cheap is not a selling point
Hot on the heels of Rule #2, don’t compete on price — period. If all you’ve got is that you’re cheaper than the next guy then perhaps it’s time for a rethink or to find a contractor position?
Rule 5: Thou shall not covert thy neighbours hardware
As a wise person once said, “it’s not how big it is, it’s what you do with it that counts”. Likewise, don’t brag if you’ve got big ‘uns (See Rule#6). This one is a bit engineer-y, but it equally applies to the size of your email list, product list, downloads etc). Stop with the superficial comparison & get on with delivering more value with what you have got.
Rule 6: Thou shall not use vanity metrics in marketing material
The number of followers you have on Twitter or Likes you have on Facebook tells me nothing about you — other than you like social media. Likewise, the number of cores, terabytes of RAM, billions of cells or petabytes of storage you run says little more than you run on computers — I could’ve guessed that bit.
Rule 7: Your time is more valuable than compute time
If a computer can do it then let a computer do it, they scale much more easily than you. Having said that, you need to do a job before you can automate it. Do things that don’t scale, systematise then automate — simples.
Rule 8: Don’t blag your clients
If you’re in a client meeting thinking “we can’t do that” — say so. Your client expects that you know what you’re doing, not that you’re going to figure it out at their expense. Ignore this & there’s a good chance that it’s not going to end well.
Rule 9: Use the right tools
You love CFD, I get it, but sometimes some things are easier to physically test than they are to model. Know when it’s one of those times & tell your client. Do what’s required, not what’s easiest — find someone who can. Rule #1 & #8 also apply here.
Rule 10: Pass it on
Be the guy-who-knows-a-guy & build a network of like-minded consultants (not just in your field). When you come across a client you can’t help, you’re too busy or it’s not your bag, then pass them on to someone who can — what goes around comes around.
Bonus Rule
The previous 10 rules for consultants weren’t in any particular order but if they had been, then I missed the very first rule, the one I thought would be obvious. But there is no such thing as common sense, so I better state it.
Rule 00: Charge For It
I know that the technical aspect of what you do is fun, I get it. But what’s not fun is going bust — so charge for your work. There is rarely an excuse for doing free work. If you’re generating good marketing material then maybe it could be a freebie. But if a project is important enough that your client won’t let you shout about it — then it’s important enough to be paid for. Free work is rarely a good bait to catch the kind of clients you want.
This might not be how you approach your business, that doesn’t matter. What does matter is thinking through what you do, why you do it & how you think it should be done. You might not keep every rule, all of the time, but at least you have something to aim towards. For you NCIS fans, remember Gibbs’ Rule #51: “Sometimes — You’re wrong”