Selling.
Money.
There I said it.
YOU deserve to be PAID for your work. Period.
Let’s say it again.
You deserve to be paid for your work.
As a creative, I feel like it’s almost impossible to speak on the subject of money to other creatives without this strange pall falling over us. It’s palpable. The energy crackles between everyone and you can see people’s eyes shifting to see what everyone else is thinking.
But why?
Why do we feel like this?
We know our art has worth, that the hours we pour into it, the heart we leave wide open to inspire, these things have value.
But what kind of value?
How do we put a price tag on any of our work? How do we ask people for money???
Here’s the thing, you’re not asking anyone for money. You’re not approaching people with open hands begging them for a handout.
What you are doing is asking for what your work, your time is worth.
I know it’s a difficult subject, trust me, I know. It’s been one heckuva journey for me to begin to understand how to talk about money.
This book here, The Win Without Pitching Manifesto, is one that completely resonated with me.
Of the 12 principles, which you can find in other reviews or summaries around the internet, the ones that spoke most to me were the ideas of talking about money as early in the conversation as possible, that we will be selective in our clients, that we will specialize, that we won’t solve problems before we are paid and that we will charge more. Of all the lessons these here are the ones that have made the biggest difference in my life and in my business.
1. We speak about money as early as possible.
2. We will be selective in who we take on as a client.
3. We will specialize.
4. We will be paid before we begin solving problems.
5. We will charge more.
1. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve met with a prospective client, become super excited, spent hours at that meeting, and walked away feeling super good about it. On top of the world actually. Then gone on and started my research, meanwhile weeks pass, the client and I begin to develop a good relationship and we set another meeting to go over what I’ve begun only to have the client tell me they can’t afford the price I’m quoting them. So I’m stuck. I’ve just done weeks worth of work, I’ve become invested, and I know I can help them. I know it. And now? Now I either have to take far less money than I’m worth or walk away knowing I could’ve helped them grow. Always, always, always bring up money early in your conversations. It’ll save you both heartache.
2.When I first started my business I said yes. Yes to every opportunity that came my way regardless of whether or not I was paid, I just knew I had to say yes now to be able to say no later. I was exhausted. I had no life outside of my work. Like zero. Don’t get me wrong, the first 2 years of my business were filled with what felt like endless opportunities, long days, and even longer nights, but almost no money and even less fun. I did all sorts of things, worked with all kinds of artists and business people, and I figured, if I work endlessly I’d make a name for myself. And this was true. To an extent. I still believe you need to work hard but I also believe you deserve to have a work-life balance. Where you can be successful in work but also in your personal life. Especially in your personal life. So how do you do this? You become selective in who you work with. When you sit down across from your potential clients make sure you’re asking important questions about who they are, both as a company and as a people. Make sure that you, for lack of a better term, vibe. That by taking them on you’re also solidifying that the steps are towards what you want your legacy to be. It's really no fun working with someone that you don’t even really like or like where they’re heading. So be selective of those you work with. You’ll find you can give higher quality work to those clients you do choose to work with.
3. Back to when I began my business, again, I took a lot of things on, all of which were well within my industry of course, but a funny thing happened along the way. I began to see what people needed from me. Over and over again my clients would come to me for some super-specific problem and time and time again the perspective would change. The true problem would come out. So I began to work with that. Those problems that everyone seemed to have but no one actually knew they had. I began to specialize. This in turn began to help me be selective of my clients.
4. See blurb
Just kidding. We’ve already covered the beginning of why money is such a important thing to discuss in business but I’d like to reiterate just how important not working before you’re paid is.
Don’t do it.
5. When I started I felt like I couldn't charge more for my work. I charged what I I thought was a reasonable price and then would kind of sheepishly accept payment. Time progressed and I charged just a little more. Then I started seeing just how much others were charging and what type of work they were doing in return and I was mind blown. How could I be charging so little for the work I was doing? How could I be afraid to charge more when the quality of my work was so different from others? I began to charge more. Not much more but more nonetheless. And
guess what? The world didn’t explode. I gained a new confidence and my price went higher and higher. And you know what happened? The quality of my clients changed. I no longer had the same issues I had had previously. My clients took my advice seriously, they were paying top dollar for my services and now they were listening.
Parts of this book echoed within my own business. I saw the principles in the decisions I had made reflected within these pages.
Wherever your business is, whatever stage it’s at, this book can offer you insight. It can give you a direction and it can give you the verbiage to do it.