For years when potential clients would ask me about my prices, I would stumble when attempting to communicate the value of my work. In fact, I would immediately go into defensive mode.
I’d get nervous.
I’d get sweaty.
I would have that yucky feeling in my throat and stomach as I tried to defend why I was charging what I was.
You see, I was making the mistake of assuming they were asking this:
“How could you be charging this much for photos?!?”
Ugh. It was horrible.
In fact, looking back. It was the biggest weakness in my business.
I had no idea how to communicate the value of my products and services.
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Then, by a total fluke…something shifted.
I got real honest with myself in an area of my business that I had no idea was connected to my confidence.
My numbers.
I finally admitted to myself that there were a lot of numbers in my business I didn’t really know or understand. I was under a lot of pressure to get this stuff figured out (Can you say $3000+ a month in overhead!) So, I dove into my numbers and soon knew them better than I ever had in my 11 years in business. For the first time in my career, I honestly knew exactly what I had to charge and WHY I was charging what I was.
What was the fluke?
My confidence soared.
And suddenly, when people asked about my prices instead of hearing “How could you be charging this much for photos” I heard:
“I don’t understand the value I’m getting for the money you’re asking”
Which prompted me to immediately dive into all the great things I do for my clients and why I’m really awesome.
I had a complete perspective shift.
I was no longer defensive.
Only in hindsight, do I realize now that my lack of confidence all those years stemmed from the fact that I didn’t really know why my prices were what they were. (Full disclosure: I had a spreadsheet and had done my cost of doing business…but I also compared my prices to my competition and randomly adjusted mine accordingly). And so I was constantly on the defensive when I talked to potential clients. As a result, I lost jobs and incorrectly attributed it to my prices being too high.
It wasn’t my prices…it was me!
In the latest episode of Photogreneur, I explore how to communicate the value of your work to your clients. What you can do, what you can say and what you need own!
Key takeaways:
Tip’s on conveying value
Something so old school that’s totally new school
Enjoy
How to Communicate the Value of your Photos
