Why do experts get paid more?

A giant ship’s engine failed. The ship’s owners tried one ‘professional’ after another, but none of them could figure out how to fix the broken engine.

Then they brought in a man who had been fixing ships since he was young. He carried a large bag of tools with him and, when he arrived, immediately went to work. He scrutinised the engine, top to bottom.

Two of the ship’s owners were there watching this man, hoping he would know what to do. After looking things over, the old man reached into his bag and pulled out a small hammer. He gently tapped something. Instantly, the engine lurched into life. He carefully put his hammer away, and the engine was fixed!!!

A week later, the owners received an invoice from the old man for £10,000.

What? the owners exclaimed. “He hardly did anything..!”.

So they wrote to the man, “Please send us an itemised invoice.”

The man sent an invoice that read:

Tapping with a hammer………………….. £2.00

Knowing where to tap…………………….. £9,998.00

The effort is necessary, but experience and knowing where to direct that effort make all the difference.