Some years ago, I employed a lovely guy to paint the whole of my house inside.
He was someone who was known to us, we got on well, and he was a likeable chap.
The job went on for a while, and he appeared to be taking pride in his work.
I learned two major lessons from that particular job, which I apply to my own work.
One day, my sister visited and asked “blimey Jane, is he still painting?” I had to admit, it had been some considerable time by now, and he was still going strong. Except during one of his breaks. I can see him now. Laying back on my stairs, munching on one of his many snacks, when he must have relaxed just a little too much for his own good, and he said to me “not being funny Jane, but when I’m on a daily rate, I don’t exactly rush.”
In that moment, feeling a little taken advantage of, I realised that even really nice people can do naughty things. Especially if their next job is outside up a ladder, and the weather’s not great.
The other aspect of his work, which alerted me to a lesson that I try to keep in mind at all times, is that some people are not aware of their own limitations. That can be more dangerous than having insight and awareness about what you’re good at, what you’re not good at and what you need to call on help for.
You see, this painter worked alone. That’s how he liked it. One day though, we came home to dreadful big scratches across our beautiful wooden floor.
Rather than say, I’m gonna need help moving the bookcases from the side of the room to the middle, he struggled on and dragged them, any which way, which looking back, was a predictable disaster. He should have said, and my husband and I would have worked together with him, to move those bookcases.
So, the two lessons are:
- Agree a fixed fee whenever possible.
- Make sure professionals have awareness and openly tell you what they do and don’t do.
How this applies to my work, is that I only offer fixed fees. Of course it means that I sometimes do considerably more work than I am paid for, but my clients appreciate the certainty that a fixed fee provides. In turn, I love how happy my clients are.
What about awareness of your limitations? Surely I’m not going to confess to not knowing everything about Wills? Well, I decided long ago, that there are some aspects of Wills that do not interest me at the level they should, to offer as a service. For example, if you are giving in your Will to a disabled beneficiary, you ought to consider a disabled beneficiary trust. If I were going to offer these, I strongly believe that I should be interested in every aspect of them. How they operate, the practicalities, the taxation of them, how they can develop over time as the beneficiary and the trustees grow older as well as any quirky questions that curious clients may come up with.
I am not that person, who reads about disabled trusts and their operation, attending specialist training to supplement my knowledge. That means it’s better and safer for me to pass that work on. I always ask clients for feedback on the people I recommend, and I’m delighted when people phone back and say for example “Donna was great! Thank you so much for putting us in touch with her.” That gives me joy, and means the clients get great advice and super service, because people like Donna, love trust work.
If you’d like my input on simple Wills, Lasting Powers of Attorney and fixed fee Probate, please get in touch on 01727 840 240 or Jane@jcwillsandprobate.co.uk and I’ll help in any way I can.
If you have any lessons you’re willing to share here, that you’ve learned along the way, I’d love to hear them.
