I’ve had a lot of my coaching clients and my creative colleagues bump up against this one lately. I want to make this easy and give you just three simple techniques that will help blast you through to your true value with the confidence to claim it.
#1 Know What Your Clients Are Getting (HINT: It isn’t what you think.)
As a service based professional and creativepreneurs you might think they are getting your service; you might imagine that they are getting a beautiful new interior (if you are in design); you might guess that they are paying for your skill as a writer or speaker. They aren’t. In fact what you are selling is uniquely you. That’s right, you are the only one in the world who can deliver it because it is based on YOU. You are selling your years of experience, education, failures and triumphs, insights and wisdom, the essence of your expertise. It is profoundly valuable and you deserve to be compensated fairly and well for it. This isn’t about what the market will bear at all. Remember YOU are unique and provide something no one else can in exactly the same way. Rethink what you are charging, I’m betting you are worth at least one and a half to twice what you’ve been asking (and getting.)
#2 Know Who is in Your Mirror (HINT: You can change the reflection.)
Now just because you can state your worth aloud doesn’t mean you can easily or comfortably ask for it. This takes practice and sometimes lots of it. So here you go, twice a day get in front of the mirror (you may want to do this behind closed doors as you don’t want to be distracted). Look yourself squarely in the eyes, no flinching, no giggling, no blushing, no looking away or down, and state the affirmation here or one of your own making that is similar. It may take you a week or a month, but this does work. This is about retraining both your conscious and your unconscious mind to accept your new and real value.
“I, your name, am a talented and experienced creative professional and deserve to be well compensated for the value I provide. I work exclusively with clients who know, like, and trust me and appreciate my creative gifts. My time is precious and my fee is (whatever your fee is, if you work off packages then insert the value of these.)”
#3 Charge Differently and You’ll Eliminate Comparison and Competition
When your entire industry charges by the hour, charge by the package. When your industry charges by the service, charge by the project. When your competitors (we all have them) charge cost plus, charge retail less a discount. The point is when you charge differently it becomes far more difficult to be compared and your inherent value will stand out. You will remove yourself from being a commodity and instead set yourself apart as a one-of-a-kind investment with an ROI! The point is to be YOU and get what you are uniquely worth.
