3 Tips to Banish Fear of
Raising Your Fees
© 2006 - 2009 Kendall SummerHawk
If you've been thinking it's time to raise your fees I bet you've also felt what I call, the "gulp factor."
The gulp factor is that part of you that suddenly turns to jelly, quivering at the thought of actually stating your new fees out loud. Fear takes over, cloaked in the disguise of "reasons why" you "should" just leave your fees where they are. That voice inside is probably telling you:
"What if my new fees are too much?"
"Who am I to charge so much more?"
"I'm not sure they'll pay more"
"If I charge more I'll have to do a lot more and I don't want to work harder"
and my favorite, "What if they say 'no' and I lose the client?!"
Sound familiar? I thought so.
Now, you and I both know that that voice is the sound of fear, not truth. And the job of fear is to keep you in the SAME PLACE you are right now. Fear is well, fearful of growth, fearful of change and certainly fearful of you claiming your brilliance.
So, now that we have that straight, let's take a look at 3 simple tips for banishing the fear of raising your fees so that you CAN raise your fees with confidence:
Tip #1 Tally up the results your clients have achieved in the past six months
What changes have your clients experienced? Did they ask for a raise, quit their job, gain new clients or solve an important problem? Write down the specific, measurable results your clients have achieved. What were the emotional achievements they experienced? Write those down too. It all counts!
(And if you haven't been tracking measurable results with your clients then this is your wake up call to start doing so! You're future in-come is riding on your commitment to producing extraordinary outcomes for people!).
Tip #2 Don't decide FOR your clients what they can or can not afford
Truthfully? It's none of your business to decide for someone else what fits or doesn't fit within their budget. I hear from countless entrepreneurs (ladies, I mean you!) that they "worry" or "care" that their clients won't be able to afford their services.
Excuse me if what I'm about to say sounds harsh but I honestly believe that worrying that your clients can't afford your services is really an issue of self-worth cleverly disguised as sympathy for someone else.
When I find myself slipping into that trap I snap out of it by reminding myself that when something is important enough to someone they will find a way to make it work financially.
You do your clients a much greater, authentic, soulful service by holding them as fully capable of stepping up and making a grown-up decision. And by standing in your own power around mo-ney in this way, you make it possible for them to do so as well.
Tip #3 When clients pay more they typically get better results
People respect mo-ney and tend to care more for the things they pay more for. For example, do you usually see fancy cars or homes in disrepair? Of course not! Their owners value and care for their investment.
You'll find that the same is true when your clients pay more for your service. In fact, just the act of stepping up and paying a premium for a service will often trigger deep change for a client at a soul level. All of a sudden, they are taking themselves and what they want more seriously, which is why you'll see them getting better results.
For me, raising my fees pulls me forward towards being an even better, more authentic, more powerfully aligned coach for my clients. The higher fees give me permission to coach more powerfully and to hold my client more accountable to achieving not only what they say they want, but what I see they are capable of.
My coaching request for you is to raise your fees with your next prospective client so that you are called forward to serve in a more powerful and passionate way AND your client is inspired to create greater impact for what is most important for them.
About the author:
Kendall SummerHawk, the "Horse Whisperer for Business" delivers smart, savvy ways entrepreneurs can turn their hectic business into a smooth-running, fun, 6-figure money-making dream. To learn more about her book, Brilliance Unbridled, and sign up for more FREE tips like these, visit her site at http://www.kendallsummerhawk.com
NOTE: You are welcome to “reprint” this article online as long as it remains complete and unaltered (including the “about the author” info at the end). I would also appreciate a copy of your reprint sent to kendall@kendallsummerhawk.com