The following quote is attributed to the poet John Lydgate and later adapted by President Lincoln:
“You can please some of the people all of the time, you can please all of the people some of the time, but you can’t please all of the people all of the time”.
Ever considered that this applies to your relationship with clients?
No doubt you have woken in the middle of the night fretting about a task that may not have been completed correctly? It is likely that the client involved would fall into the “can never be pleased” category. If the reported myths are to be believed 20% of your clients take up 80% of your time and would be considered to fall into this group.
If this is true, or even partly true, what is the likely effect on your practice income? Talking generalities, this could mean that 80% of your time is generating 20% of your fees? Logically, this means that the remaining 80% of your fees is generated in 20% or your time.
Extending this line of reasoning wouldn’t you be better off sacking the time consuming 20% and replace them with more productive work?
If the world was perfect, which it patently is not, this would be a reasonable strategy, but unfortunately it’s not easy to replace clients just because it’s a good idea.
However, it is good to be aware that this may be a useful strategy to follow.
Lincoln may have been thinking about his electability when using John Lydgate’s words, but the application of the underlying idea may be worth pursuing. At the very least you may get more sleep.
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