Quality matters.
Think of quality as a “degree of excellence.” A continuum from “poor to excellent.”
Take a minute and be authentically self-aware.
Where does what you provide your client fit on that quality continuum? Why would it fit there?
What’s stopping you from nailing the `excellent’ part of quality? Is it you, or your manager, or your organization, or your company that’s affecting quality?
Now, describe your personal commitment to quality. What’s your measure of quality?
What are you doing to get to excellent in your work?
You see, quality catches up with you. Maybe not today if your client is happy with your work.
Maybe not tomorrow because your client thinks about what you did for them when you started out together. Good feelings can persist for a while and overlook a lot of things.
But then the economy changes. Competition increases. Financial pressures. A pandemic hits.
Your quality slips because it’s not important to you now and what’s important is just getting things out the door.
What happens when your client figures out you’re giving them something that they could get anywhere? From anyone.
They see that there’s no strategy to what you do. You’re not thinking about your audiences and the best ways to reach them.
There’s no improvement in your work. You’re sloppy.
Look, you can’t cheat quality. Either you are all-in on quality or you fudge a bit, then a little more, then one day you’re not even thinking about quality.
You’re just pushing something out the door. Making a deadline.
And pretty soon, your version of quality is something that’s not very good. It’s not distinctive. It’s purposeless.
It doesn’t actually help your client. It doesn’t elevate their brand. It’s a knockoff.
Then it starts to hurt your brand.
Take the long view on quality. Commit to it. Every day.
Because someday, quality might be your best selling point.