I use a Shick Quattro disposable, which sounds like it should do something a sharp piece of glass can't, but my comparative analysis is incomplete. The packaging is definitely slicker than a sharp piece of glass. Plus, I didn't have to break anything.

So this morning I opened up my package of earth-killing disposable plastic to get a fresh blade. The cartridges are tucked away in little plastic cubbies so all I have to do is stick my non-disposable razor part into a cubby and retrieve a fresh piece of glass – er, blade.

When I opened up a new package this morning, there were two empty cubbies where blades should live. There were only two blades in a four-cubby package. Huh? I've been ripped off! I only got six of the eight blades I paid for! Call Scotland Yard! Call the BBB! Somebody put the Backstreet Boys on alert!

I dug in the trash for the outer packaging and got a little surprise: sure enough, it says "6 cartridges" on the box. Oh. Call off the dogs.

But wait. This still kind of sucks. Or at least it feels like it sucks. I wondered how many other people have this same experience with Quattro blades?

Now I know that the package is correct. Officially, I have not been ripped off. Schick's obligation to give me six blades was fulfilled.

So why do I feel gypped?

Simple. It's how they made me feel with their presentation.

Say I opened up the package and their were four cubbies filled with blades and two "loose" blades securely wrapped but floating free? I would probably feel like I got a bonus. Even though my supposedly intelligent (compared to animals, anyway) mind tells me that I bought six blades, on some level I would feel like they gave me extra. On a cro-magnon level, I am fooled. And, I will let myself be fooled cheerfully, because I like to feel like I got a bonus, even when I know I didn't.

I wrote a little something about feelings here. Same thing.

What does your hygiene have to do with creative business?

I'm not going to encourage you to shave if you're not the shaving kind. Relax. That's just my thing.

Have you ever had to go back to a contract and point out a clause to a client because they thought they were getting something that you didn't deliver?

I'm sure you're right.

I'm sure it's right there, black and white, signed on the dotted line, clear as crystal.

You want to know a secret? Your client doesn't give a rat's ass.

So you point it out, your client probably says, "Oh, I missed that part," and you go merrily on your way, having justified the firm legality of your rock solid contractual acumen.

Your client still doesn't give a rat's ass.

Even if your client doesn't argue the point (because they "missed" the clause), they aren't going away happy. They're going away feeling like they got shafted a razor blade. They're starting to wonder if they shouldn't have just broken a mirror and shaved with a piece of glass.

But my lawyer says...!

Sure, be legal. Be smart and clever. I'm the first one to tell you that you should have a contract before starting any creative work. Well, at least I'm in line to tell you.

It's so awesome that you proved your client wrong and you carefully worded your contract. Nice job. Now shut up.

If your focus is on pointing out that your client should only get the six blades you advertised on the package, you're missing a humongous opportunity. Your focus is likely on how to keep your clients from getting something for nothing, which some people will try to do.

In the short run, you win on a technicality. In the long run, you lose out on developing your business into something that people rave about, which is where your future work is at.

Your opportunity here is to give your client more than they expected. They expect you to deliver what you promised – at least that much. No matter what they say, your clients want more than you promised.

How do you give them more without getting taken for a ride?

Go ahead and clarify your contract, correcting any misunderstandings there (GENTLY, tactfully). But be prepared to very quickly offer them a bonus something. Anything. Think about it before you respond, but don't leave them without upping the ante.

It doesn't have to be huge. It doesn't have to ruin your weekend or kill your profit margin.

For example, I recently created a graphic for someone who had a very tight budget. I didn't come down on my rate and I gave her exactly the graphic option she needed and could afford. However, when I delivered the files, I sent her about six separate files with individual elements in case she needed them later.

It cost me nothing. It saved her a ton of time and completely opened up some options for her. She got more than she thought she originally bought, without asking for it.

It's not hard to give people a bonus. It won't kill you and you won't be sued by any of the Creative Guilds of America. I swear on my freshly shaved chin.

In the future, think ahead to giving your clients those two little floating blades in a four-cubby package before you start the work. A little goes a long way.