| I’m teaching my kids that “just” is not a polite word when describing something somebody else does. It’s ok to say “let me just transcribe that” but not “you just transcribe that”. The logic is, if you are not the one doing it, you have no idea whether what you are describing is something that can be described with “just” or not. Since the expert’s clients will be mostly people who know less about the subject matter than the expert, their perception of scope will usually be minimizing. A logo is just a font and two colors, right? A surgeon is just a doctor who cuts people, big whoop. A programmer is a smart-alec subtype of a typist, so if their mouse isn’t moving, they clearly aren’t working! People whose job it is to measure productivity often use minimizing language for high-level, nuanced work. This is significant, because clients with a warped perception of productivity will often develop buyer’s remorse when faced with an expert who spends a lot of time “just” thinking about the problem, and will often try to broaden their scope to “get their money’s worth”. To prevent that, it’s therefore important to take notice and correct the language used in the sales process or the initial agreement. When you catch the client using “just” as a prefix, always double down on explaining the process in those particular areas until any minimizing language dissolves. |
Categories: Need adjustmentManaging expectations
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