The lesson that I learned this week is applicable to anyone starting a new business as well as people starting out in the Communication, PR, and/or Advertising industry. I learned this the hard way and it is not something that is taught in most classrooms so take heed! Drumroll, please.
When starting work with a new client make sure you get a specific deadline.
This may seem obvious to some of you and I wish it had been to me. Not all clients are going to be big-name corporations. Some are people who are new to the business also. When we were told that they wanted the product (in this case a brochure) they said they wanted it “as soon as possible”. We were eager to get started and got some excellent work done, but apparently their ASAP was different from our ASAP and we lost the client. Very embarrassing, but something that will NOT happen again.
Now we have made a note to ALWAYS ask the exact date that the first draft is due and when the finished product needs to be completed and approved. Admitting that you have made a mistake is extremely hard and posting it for all to see is even more difficult. Please take this in the spirit that it was intended; to help others that are new to this business and, maybe, to show that being new isn’t always a liability in the job market. We may make mistakes, but we learn from them. And, we bring a fresh perspective and excitement to our projects that you won’t get from someone who has been doing this for a long time. Experts are great and it’s definitely preferable, but we can’t ALL be experts. Plus, you don’t have to pay us as much as the experts!
Check out this post on the “expert” phenomena at http://linkd.in/nU44ft
Until next time! Good luck to you all!
prbaby 
Thanks for the link. Sadly, “expert” seems to have almost no value in today’s marketplace. There is an expectation though that as one progresses in their profession that they will become skilled, experienced, knowledgeable.
Then again, there are situations where someone has managed to maintain an extraordinary level of incompetence at what they do for many years.
To me it comes down to the simple test of whether or not something seems to make sense, or if its just what someone wants to hear. Experts, whether labeled as such or not, are those that say what they know to be true, not what they simply think or believe to be true.
Excellent words of wisdom. I especially like that experts “say what they know to be true”. I’d like to add that the wise thing to do when you don’t know something is to say so and add that you will find out.