I read an interesting article recently, that made me think about how I handle my business, and what methods I employ to ensure I am successful.  The variables are much different for me than most in my field, due to my unique location and lack of competition;  sure, they exist, but not in the numbers or quality back home.

If you hear anything down here, it’s people grumbling about how the maid didn’t show up, they can’t get a hold of their “web guy”, or the waiter missed his shift, or came in 3 hours late….  it’s incredibly common down here to be lazy and complacent with appointments, work, and pretty much everything else in life.  So it immediately occurred to me I could separate myself from the pack by being ridiculously punctual and quick to respond to any inquiries, support, or anything else asked of me.

Secondly, it seemed to me, in my simplistic mind, that being busy and working was better than sitting around doing nothing.  Common sense, ya ?   Ya.  I dropped my “big city” rates, and started to really give people good deals - all the while, keeping the same level of quality and decent service as previously mentioned.  Most people, some clients included, think I don’t charge enough.  Trust me, that’s a weird one to hear from a client,  especially considering our current economic shitfuck.

Fast forward to today, where I have a totally full project load, to the point I’m working everyday, 10 or 12 hours per day - plus, a several more clients waiting in the queue  (knock on wood)., and more trying to lock me down in the future.  Starting to get contracts with *gasp* larger corporations.   Good work + good prices = busy me.    Although it never occurred to me before reading that article, I was driven by customers and work, not money.  Let the work drive you, and the money will naturally follow, if you are good at what you do.

For the record, I don’t advertise anywhere, except of course my website.  There are no ads in the local rags, no window posters in local business, and not even business cards to hand out.  Having said that, I can tell you that at least %90 of my business comes from word of mouth - rarely I will get a random inquiry on my site, and those rarely pan out to any actual work.  My counterparts around here seem to be more intent on charging as much as possible, doing a mediocre job, and then completely disappearing.  I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard that chain of events from new clients.

It all sounds like basic common sense:  do good work, don’t put yourself on a high horse and charge too much, and the clients will come.  Then, so will the bucks.

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