Effort means nothing without clear outcomes

After speaking with a lot of founders, designers, and developers, I keep noticing a pattern that can hurt their relationships with clients.

A lot of service providers focus too much on tracking their work hours, thinking that those hours prove their worth. They might say things like:

- "I spent 10 hours on this design."

- "I dedicated 8 hours to coding."

- "I was on client calls for 3 hours this week."

Then, they get confused when clients aren't happy or push back on deliverables.

The Main Issue

The real issue is pretty straightforward: clients aren’t really worried about how many hours you clocked; they care about the results.

Clients aren’t likely to say, “Wow, this project obviously shows 40 hours of your effort.”

Instead, their comments revolve around practical stuff like, “Does this product meet our needs?” or “Is this landing page working well?”

This understanding is important. Clients are paying for results, not effort. What matters to them includes:

- Did the landing page boost conversion rates?

- Was the website quick to load?

- Did the product meet their expectations?

These are the things clients look at to judge your work—not those late nights you put in or how long it took to finish tasks.

When you don’t set clear expectations from the start, that’s when misunderstandings and frustration can pop up.

For example, what one person sees as a "quick fix" might be viewed by someone else as needing a big redo.

My Simple Fix For This

My fix for this is quite simple. I always suggest that service providers take some proactive steps to avoid these issues:

1. Get Specific in Your Contract:

Be clear about what you’re delivering. Instead of just saying you’ll "design a landing page," get into details:

“Create a landing page that has three sections, is mobile-friendly, integrates with XYZ form, and delivers in both Figma and HTML.”

2. Set Measurable Success Metrics:

Clearly define how to measure success. For instance, you could say, “the landing page must reach a conversion rate of at least 8% within 30 days post-launch, tracked via Google Analytics.”

Or aim for “loading the site in under 2 seconds on 4G, verified through PageSpeed Insights.”

3. Include Acceptance Criteria:

Define what needs to be done for the project to be considered complete.

This could be something like, “All buttons and forms must work properly; the site has to pass accessibility checks; and all content must match the approved text.”

4. Clarify Revision Limits and Feedback Cycles:

Set clear rules for revisions and feedback. You might say, “This includes two revision rounds; any extra changes will be billed at $X per hour.”

Also, set expectations for feedback timelines, like, “Clients need to provide feedback within 3 business days to keep the timeline on track.”

5. Link Payment to Results, Not Hours:

Base payments on milestones tied to deliverables.

For example, say something like, “40% payment when the design gets approved, 30% when development is done, and the final 30% after the site is successfully launched.”

The End Result Looks Like This

By making outcomes measurable and clearly defining them in contracts, you’ll enjoy several benefits:

- Less Confusion: Clear expectations help avoid misunderstandings.

- Fewer Scope Creep Issues: Well-defined limits reduce the chances of excessive changes outside the agreed-upon scope.

- Build Trust: Being transparent helps build trust, leading to repeat business and lasting relationships.

Before starting your next project, take a good look at your contract. Ask yourself:

Is it just tracking hours, or is it effectively defining and measuring results?

In the end, clients care more about the outcomes they get - not the hours you’ve logged.

Focus on delivering results, and you’ll significantly improve your client relationships.