We speak today of “disruption” and “volatility.” With the original version of this book over a decade ago, nearly 20 years ago, I disrupted the consulting profession with the concept of billing for value and not time.

Today, professional services organizations, from law firms to accountants, from architects to professional organizers, are evolving toward value-based fees (though some are mammals and some are still dinosaurs).

In volatile times, your value is your value. It doesn't matter whether you're on Zoom, or Skype, or you're a holograph levitating in a virtual meeting room. Value is not “presence,” and certainly not physical presence in the traditional sense. In fact, the benefits of meeting without travel, without the expenses of lodging and transport and food, and without the vagaries of rescheduling and postponing at great cost due to uncontrollable factors, make for even greater value in remote interactions.

The $18,000 cited in the introduction to the earlier edition would be $50,000 today. Our value is greater than ever, but it does face that toughest of all sales.

The first sale is always to yourself.

Read on, and let me assist you in closing the deal.