job search notes: charge for expertise not by the hour

KNOWING WHERE TO HAMMER

A man was suffering a persistent problem with his house. The floor squeaked. No matter what he tried, nothing worked. Finally, he called a carpenter who friends said was a true craftsmen. The craftsmen walked into the room, and heard the squeak. He set down his toolbox, pulled out a hammer and nail, and pounded the nail into the floor with three blows.

The squeak was gone forever. The carpenter pulled out an invoice, on which he wrote the total of $45. Above the total were two line items:

Hammering , $2
Knowing where to hammer, $43

Charge for knowing where to hammer!

A few months ago I spent an hour with my dentists… he charged me $400 for that hour - I happily paid him because I was confident that he was going to do the right work on the right teeth. I paid him for his wisdom and his work. I paid for at least some of the time he prepared and qualified himself to do the work as well as the work that he did.

in summary… NEVER CHARGE BY THE HOUR

Charge by the expertise and experience you bring to each hour!

Read Kirk Weisler's full posting here