What is the difference between an outcome and a deliverable?

A deliverable is what is delivered to a client, but an outcome is the strategic, tactical, psychological, or otherwise useful value of what is delivered. To illustrate: it’s the difference between what is delivered to the front lines, and the outcome of a battle.

A report, a workshop, and a website are examples of deliverables. What the client can decide, do, or stop worrying about afterward is the outcome. Here is why clients buy outcomes, and what that changes about describing, pricing, and proving your work.