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I think the point is when reaching higher levels of expertise is not to try and convince existing customers to move up the ladder with you, it's that you need t

I think the point is when reaching higher levels of expertise is not to try and convince existing customers to move up the ladder with you, it's that you need to find an entirely new set of customers who need that level of expertise and appreciate the difference. It's not about explaining - there's a quantum leap between levels. It might be trite, but as a contractor walking my rate up over 10 years, I found it interesting.

xyzelement 3y ago
I agree on "forget your existing low level customers" and I think you're hitting on one of the growth paths but there's another one. The path you are hitting on implies the client/employer already knows what they need and are gatekeeping on it. It's great to be able to get past those gates - ie, if you've grown yourself into a FAANG-caliber engineer, go interview at Google, but in this case Google already knows what they need and what that looks like. The line from the article that I cited is the other dynamic - where the client doesn't know what they need. You're right that might be because they are a low level client and don't actually need your expertise (what you mentioned) but it may also be the case that they do badly need you but can't recognize it because of your relative difference in levels. In general, the higher your level, the more likely it is that even otherwise high-level people will not understand the nuance of what you can bring to them. In that case, there's the sales process that should kick in, and by sales I simply mean helping the client see that they have a problem and that they would be much better off if that problem was solved, and that you're a rare breed who can do it.
- ianmcgowan 3y ago
  That's a good point, and the sales education process is definitely important. It's a fine line between "let's step back and look at your actual pain points" and "what else can I upsell you on while I have your attention?", that customers are very wary of crossing.

xyzelement 3y ago

I agree on "forget your existing low level customers" and I think you're hitting on one of the growth paths but there's another one. The path you are hitting on implies the client/employer already knows what they need and are gatekeeping on it. It's great to be able to get past those gates - ie, if you've grown yourself into a FAANG-caliber engineer, go interview at Google, but in this case Google already knows what they need and what that looks like. The line from the article that I cited is the other dynamic - where the client doesn't know what they need. You're right that might be because they are a low level client and don't actually need your expertise (what you mentioned) but it may also be the case that they do badly need you but can't recognize it because of your relative difference in levels. In general, the higher your level, the more likely it is that even otherwise high-level people will not understand the nuance of what you can bring to them. In that case, there's the sales process that should kick in, and by sales I simply mean helping the client see that they have a problem and that they would be much better off if that problem was solved, and that you're a rare breed who can do it.

ianmcgowan 3y ago
That's a good point, and the sales education process is definitely important. It's a fine line between "let's step back and look at your actual pain points" and "what else can I upsell you on while I have your attention?", that customers are very wary of crossing.