“Boss, we can charge much higher for this client. He is in a soup and has no alternative apart from us.”
I believe this dilemma touches almost every consultant and advisor at some point in their journey – do we encash the situation and maximize revenue, or do we stay true to our basic professional fees and values?
Many times, we justify higher charges by saying:
– Clients squeeze our fees after work is done.
– We deliver results when no one else could.
– We take the real risk and responsibility.
All of that may be true. Yet, if we are honest with ourselves, somewhere it is also about greed and taking advantage of a client’s difficult situation.
My personal belief is simple: the Almighty watches everything, and the law of karma spares no one. We may justify things to the world, but we cannot lie to ourselves. Integrity is not a marketing tool; it is a personal discipline. And in the long run, integrity builds goodwill, and goodwill outlives us.
Let us build a nation where success is driven not only by intelligence and ambition, but also by character.