You’ve probably heard the expression, “Faster, better, cheaper–pick twoâ€. No, it’s not advice for choosing a girlfriend, it comes from project management circles and is sometimes referred to as the “Iron Triangleâ€.
You can’t have all three benefits, the theory says, so pick the two you want most. You can have something done faster and better but it’s going to cost more. If you want it better and cheaper, it will take more time. You can get it done quickly and inexpensively but it won’t be as good.
This may be true in the engineering and project management world but is it true everywhere? Is it true with respect to legal services?
I say it’s not. I say a lawyer can deliver all three.
You can create good work product quickly. Actually, in my experience, doing the work quickly often produces a better work product. When I write or prepare for a talk, for example, working quickly usually leads to a better first draft.
In fact, lawyers should make “speed†a cornerstone of their proposition. Let your clients know that they can not only count on you to deliver high-quality work, you’ll deliver it expeditiously.
Isn’t that what clients want? Good results delivered quickly?
Quality and speed. That’s two of the three. What about cheap?
Don’t let that word throw you. The more accurate word is “valueâ€. They get more value from you than from other lawyers.
Your services aren’t cheap. You don’t have the lowest fees. You don’t compete on “priceâ€. You’re not a “discount lawyerâ€. Just the opposite. You are “a bit more expensive, but worth itâ€.
And that’s where the value comes in.
You deliver high-quality services quickly and your clients get more value from you than from other lawyers.
That’s your promise. That’s your challenge.
Faster. Better. Cheaper (more value). That’s the lawyers’ “Golden Triangleâ€.
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