The best part about being knowledgable in my field is that I can guide my clients towards the solutions that work best to get them the results they want. Often people think they want one thing but in reality they need something completely different.
I’m a perfect example of this and it really raised my awareness of the fact that I take my experience and use it to guide my clients to the solutions that will actually solve their problem.
Several months ago I went to a service provider to get a solution to my problem. We spent several months going back and forth on the best options for me and other alternatives plans that would work as well. I was supposed to fill out the paper work the other day, when I realized that this may not be the right solution for me. While my service provider provided my the solution I asked for, I did not have the knowledge to ask for the right thing! It turns out that one of my alternative options that I considered a worst case scenario may actually be the plan that I should have pursued in the first place.
This service provider (two of them actually, as I was trying to get an idea of prices in the market) is an expert in his/her field and should have asked the right questions to diagnose and steer me in the right direction. Always diagnose the problem before prescribing a solution. People don’t always understand what they need, especially when it is an unknown field. It’s your job to be the expert.
In the reverse case, just a few days ago, I had a prospective client come in for a consultation and asked for specific solutions to the problem. Straight away, I could see that what he was asking for would not solve his actual pain or problem. I started asking deeper questions to understand his motives for the project and the reason why he was asking for a particular solution. At the moment I am working on providing a quote that will explain to him my understanding of his problem and the real solution that he needs. As well as a quote for his requested project and reasons why it will not fulfill his needs.
As the expert, I have a better understanding of what will or will not work. Or what is or is not even possible… (websites take a lot more work than many people realize, especially custom solutions).