They say if hearing your price doesn’t make your prospects or clients gasp you’re not changing enough. And I totally second that opinion.
Here’s the thing:
- The ones who’re stuck with the price tag or the “cost” of working won’t ever play at a world-class level.
- They don’t understand the difference between value and cost.
- They would outright refuse to work with their prospects and/or clients who can’t afford them or think their price is too high.
What an irony?
And that’s precisely why you wouldn’t want to work with them. Even if you’re new to the field or are a struggling entrepreneur desperately wanting to break in. That may sound “off the wall” but in life and business there’s no such thing as raising or lowering your standards. You “set” your standards once and stay there forever.
And when people call you out for raising or lowering your standards, they’re basically highlight your approach to doing things, which either exceed or doesn’t meet their expectations. Your job is to take it the feedback and evaluate for its veracity, make changes (if need be) and move on.
The worst place is to be serving a ton of clients who don’t even meet your minimum standards. Sure, you’ve got to survive but not at the expense of compromising your values. I wouldn’t refuse projects if that’s the case but I sure would fire these clients when I finally engage with the clients that I really want to work with. Why? Because I’m a professional. And professionals don’t argue about:
- The price — yes, it is high, but you’re happy to work out something mutually beneficial only if the client is willing to commit to the long haul (a minimum of 12-18 months).
- The time invested — you don’t run by the clock but by the priorities you need to deliver on. Period.
- The competition — they’re all awesome and would be willing to work for half the price. What could be the reason we are charging higher? (Whatever their answer is, that is correct!)
The next time you hear someone whine about your “price” I dare you to tell them this — “not everyone can afford our services and that we totally understand that.” Move on to the next person and find out how she’s making an impact in the world and how best can you serve her.