(Listen to this post, here.)

I moved to a new office about a year ago.

I was happy in my old place – I had been there 17 years – but the building owners decided they didn’t want tenants anymore, so I had to find something else.

Frankly, I was worried about finding anything. My town is pretty small and I like being in the center of things, of which there is not much.

Fortunately, I quicky found a spot in a converted old house, right downtown. Sunny, plenty of parking, reasonable rent, nice landlord.

But it wasn’t until I moved in that I uncovered one fun, unexpected aspect of my new office:There is a live traffic camera mounted up on a telephone pole directly outside.  

Here’s the fun part: The camera is on a 15-second delay.

Which means that when I look out my office window and see a car drive by, or a person walking their dog, or some type of escaped livestock, those same individuals show up on the camera shortly thereafter. (I confess that once or twice, I’ve even gone outside, waved to the camera, and run back in to see myself.)

It sometimes feels like I’m predicting the future.

Granted, 15 seconds isn’t much, and if I’m being honest, the web cam isn’t so much predicting the future as it is predicting the past.

Still, when I need a little break, I look out the window and wait for the things I just saw to “miraculously” show up on my computer screen.

Don’t Ignore Timing

When it comes to working solo or as a small professional service provider, subtle, timing-related elements can likewise impact your success.

That may come as a surprise.

After all, things like providing value for a reasonable fee, sharing useful content consistently, and being disarmingly attractive as many of us are, would seem to be all that matters.

And, of course, those things do matter. But in our ongoing efforts to stand out from the crowd and improve our respective businesses overall, there are several timing-related things we can do to reinforce our advantage. Such as…

Respond quickly. 

We have all become accustomed to waiting for companies to get back to us (if they ever get back to us at all). The faster you can respond to emails and phone calls – not just from prospective clients, from everyone – the more memorable and impressive you will be.

Make yourself available.

I often get texts from clients with a variety of questions and requests. Here as well, I answer those quickly, regardless of the day or time.

I suppose, if it became too much, I’d have to curtail it in some way. But so far, it has not been a problem. Knowing I am easy to reach differentiates me from larger businesses with stricter policies.

Ask for testimonials immediately.

Testimonials from past clients are very compelling to potential new ones. When prospects see people “like them” talking about their positive experiences working with you, it helps them overcome concerns they may have about moving forward.

The best time to ask for these? Immediately after the project is finished. The honeymoon glow doesn’t last very long – no matter how satisfied they were with your work, people tend to forget. Make it a habit to ask immediately.

Overdeliver on deadlines.

When it comes to timing, I rarely make a promise to a client that I don’t keep. That’s because I always add a little bit of padding, “just in case.” As a result, I’m usually a day or two early getting the work done.  

This took me a few years to learn, since the urge to promise everything can be pretty strong, especially when speaking to someone who is thinking of hiring you. But if you overextend, you’ll regret it as soon as you hang up the phone and realize what you just agreed to.

Call exactly, to the minute, when you say you will.

Like you, in a typical week, I’ve got all kinds of prearranged calls with people. If I’m the one responsible for calling, I watch the clock and push the call button on my phone precisely at the agreed upon time.

Clients often comment on the fact that they could “set their watch” by me. It’s a little thing, but I think people generalize that degree of precision and reliability to their impression of me overall.

Publish during less busy times.

I never publish a newsletter for myself or a client at the top or bottom of the hour. Not only is that when everyone else publishes, but it’s also when meetings begin. When the meeting ends, everyone scrambles to delete the “unnecessary” stuff that came in – we don’t want to be part of that frenzy.

If, on the other hand, you publish 15 minutes before or after the hour, you catch the people sitting at their desks, awaiting the next Zoom call, looking for things to read.

(By the way, this works equally well when meeting someone for lunch or dinner at a restaurant that tends to get crowded. Meeting 15 minutes earlier than most puts you at the front of the line.)

Here’s the Bottom Line

These kinds of timing tweaks are small. None of them, by themself, is going to make or break your business.

But together, they add up to a competitive edge that can push you over the line.

Now if you’ll excuse me, an unaccompanied goat just walked by my window and I need to power up the webcam.

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Discussion Questions:

1. What’s the longest you have ever worked in the same physical office?
2. Have you ever lost any livestock? Explain.
3. Do you have any timing tips to share?

Share your answers below…

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