Here's how to own your value
Ever feel like there is a breakdown between your desire to be of service and the need to pay the bills?
Most conscious entrepreneurs have a bit of a challenge receiving and find that asking for money brings up a host of issues that are uncomfortable. (Can you relate to that one?)
Unfortunately, we have heard too many messages about money being “The root of all evil” and “dirty” or somehow not spiritual.
Or you may have bought into the cultural conditioning of struggle around money.
Because of this, we risk stepping into a care-taking role and find ourselves feeling guilty for charging if we know that our clients may be struggling themselves financially. But it doesn’t have to be this way.
The secret to being able to make money doing what you love, is to understand just how much VALUE you are providing and how it changes the lives of your clients.
Let me share an example. I coached a woman who is a bereavement counselor so had a very hard time charging people at this grief-filled point in their lives. She was working with a client whose husband had committed suicide and was stuck on what to charge the widow. I helped her put together a package of 10 sessions and she decided to stretch herself to charge $750 for this.
But once she got the numbers down, the gremlins on the inside came back and she started backing off, feeling somehow ‘dirty’ for taking money from this sad woman. (You know those gremlins… the little voices in our heads that begin to attack and tell us what’s wrong with us, our plan, or life, etc.? Those pesky characters need to be tamed!)
So I asked her these questions, and by doing this process she was able to feel very good about her work and her fees in the end.
Me: “What difference will it make for the woman if she works with you?”
Client: “She’ll stop feeling guilty about it and wonder if it was her fault or that she could have done something different.”
Me: “And what will that allow her to do?”
Client: “She’ll be able to process through the grief cycle and get peace.”
Me: “And what else?”
Client: “She’ll be able to express her feelings in a safe way so she can heal faster.”
Me: “And what will she get with that?”
Client: “She’ll move more quickly through this challenging time and be able to get to a place of acceptance with it.”
Me: “And don’t you think that having a safe place for her to express her feelings, release the anger and guilt and get peace of mind is worth $750?”
When I put it to her that way she got it. But when she was just translating it by 10 sessions at $75 each and not looking at the VALUE and RESULTS and REDUCTION of PAIN that it was providing, so she felt guilty.
That’s the trick. Make a list of what you really sell. If you are a healer, it’s not just a bodywork session. If you are a doctor, it’s not an office visit, and if you are a painter, it’s not just a piece of art.
By digging deep and asking what other layers of value you provide, you can more easily step in and charge what you are worth. This is the work! You will never be able to feel good about your rates unless you can dig in and discover this piece.
By answering the questions below, you can begin to get a better sense of the value you provide.
- What problems do I solve for my clients? (Dive deep! Come up with 30 answers.)
- What’s that worth to them in terms of the quality of their lives?
- Now think about the LIFETIME value as a result of getting this. What changes?
- What does the little voice in your head saying about you raising or charging your fees?
- If you were to have to ‘defend’ those fees to the gremlin, what would you say? (Hint – tell them how if folks work with you, they will avoid __________ in their lives.)
This is a start. It’s a way to begin to see your services in a more transformational way versus just transactional. When you can see the shift that you create, it’s a game-changer!
Feel free to comment below and tell me what you discovered. I’d love to hear how you told those little gremlins to go lay down.