How Charging More Actually Makes You a Better Human (Seriously!)

by Erica | Jun 3, 2014 | Business Design, Inspiration, MoneyMoneyMoney

If there’s anybody out there who knows how scary it is to raise their prices, it’s me.

Now, here’s the real real: There are a lot of copywriters out there who charge much higher prices than I do. (And yes, I realize the absurdity of this given that my tagline includes the word “couture.”) I’ve had this brought to my attention by nearly everyone – clients, business coaches, colleagues, you name it.

And while working on our money mindset is all the rage these days (and we’re constantly bombarded with messages like, “Charge what you’re worthy, honey!”),  I still don’t think it’s cool when someone busts into a new scene and demands top dollar. I think you’ve got to work up to charging higher prices. Y’know, that whole “It’s a privilege, not a right” deal. I don’t mind earning my chops (although let’s be real…I’ve been writing online for money over years.)

So I’ve kept my prices decent and affordable for new business owners, who are also some of my fave people to work with.

And it’s all been gravy…until lately.

Nowadays, it feels like my lower-ish rates are starting to backfire on me.

How so, you ask?

Well, I’m inundated with client work. And while I love ’em all, unfortunately my time/energy/loveliness has been spread far too thin. I’ve noticed my quality of work slipping (and with it, my illusions of shorter workdays, where the second half is spent making mad cash while sipping moscato on a park bench…except, you know, legal). I’ve had to call myself out for lazy writing (telling, not showing) quite a few times.

And then a few weeks back, I really hit an all-time low. I realized I had stopped thinking about prospects in terms of “good fit,” “bad fit” and whether or not I’m excited/turned on by the client/business… and starting thinking in terms of dollah signs.

As in…if I work with this person and this person and this person (no names used) and charge this much, I can afford to pay my health insurance bill this month.

Ugh.

I did not get into business to treat clients like they’re just a means to money in the bank.

Hell to the no.

I want to make sure this business stays fun and my writing stays fresh (so that, y’know, it actually works for my people). So it feels really out of integrity with my bigger mission – to empower women business owners to share their shit and own their fabulousness – to continue doing what I’ve been doing (which is pumping out copy like a well-manicured machine, without having the time/energy to truly connect with my clients). So I’ve decided to do something that terrifies me and a LOT of other women: re-evaluate my prices.

Cue the dun, dun, duuuuun.

But here’s the deal: I know I’ve helped clients usher in thousands upon thousands of dollars. I know I’ve helped others break through years of overwhelm, frustration and just “not getting it right”-ness. So my value is apparent. It’s real. Tangible, even.

And although it’d obvs be nice to be able to afford a Birkin or pair of Louboutins as a result of changing up my prices, that’s not what this is about AT ALL. I want to be able to pay my bills, sure, but my re-evaluation is more about feeling OKAY with who I am as a businesswoman and person.

If you’re floatin’ in the same boat (as in working your talented butt off for clients and still struggling to pay bills and feeling terrible about your sub-par customer service), I’ve pulled together a few pieces of wisdom to make you feel better about raising your own prices. Because seriously….in certain cases, asking for more makes you a better human being, not worse.

Read on, yo.

So, why will charging more make you a better, more responsible and sometimes even more likable human?

1. You’re more relaxed when you make more cash. I have existed on PB&J sandwiches for weeks, and let me tell you, it’s not as awesome as it sounds. It’s much nicer to know that rent will get paid, the cats will have Fancy Feast and I can buy organic carrots without calling it a “splurge.” And the best part is, when you’re relaxed, you treat everyone with more respect. Better human? Totes.

2. You can focus on loving up the clients you ALREADY have. Your current clients should never feel neglected. Nurturing the relationships you’ve already got is key to your biz success…and to being a good human. When you don’t have to hustle like the rent’s due all the time, you can actually breathe, do good work and y’know, respond to your client’s emails in a timely manner. (And remember it costs 10x more to find a new customer than hang onto a current one.)

3. You can switch from promotion mode to creation mode. When you need 20 clients a month just to stay above water, you’re probably promoting yourself A LOT, instead of taking time to develop kickass content/courses TO promote. Content isn’t just an amazing way to show people you know your shit, it’s also valuable to those people. You’re helping them! Don’t you feel like a better human just thinking about that?

4. You can use the extra time to cultivate a stronger brand. When we’re drowning in client work, we often neglect our own brands, but seriously, how people perceive your business is everything. Once you raise your rates, you can spend time working on perfecting every aspect of your brand, including your customer experience…which admittedly, might kinda suck right now. How can you make working with you a more fun, personal, high-touch process? Why not funnel some of that extra coin back into deee-lighting your clients with snazzy cards and I don’t know…lipglosses? I mean, what human wouldn’t love opening up their mailbox to a cool new MAC lipgloss from the lady they just hired? Exactly. They = lookin’ fly and you = BETTER HUMAN.

5. You can set stronger boundaries. With mo’ cash flow rolling in, you can start saying “No” to non-dream clients more often (and not have to worry your cell will start ringing off the hook with bill collectors). When you say “No” to peeps who don’t really do it for ya, you open up the opportunity for them to find a service/product provider who’s as invested in their project as they are. And that, my dear, is some good human type shit. Once you’ve figured out who you love, why waste time (theirs or yours) with anybody else?

There ya have it, girlfriends. Five reasons why you should STOP selling for peanuts and become a better human being. Now get out there and BE GOOD!

// YOUR TURN!

I’d love to hear about your own experiences with raising your prices. Do you think it’s made you a better businesswoman/human? What changes have you noticed in how you show up in your business and the world? Where are you able to focus now that you weren’t before? And if you’ve never raised your prices, what would you like to have more time, energy, space to focus on that you can’t now?

P.S. If you’re interested in learning more how to raise your prices and elevate your brand through unique-to-you premium offerings, sit tight, beaut. I’ll be talking a lot more about this in the coming weeks…and maaaaybe even be able to help you do so at a low, BETA rate. Add your name to my list (using the cute sign-up box below) to make sure you don’t miss the big announcement!

Are You Making These Four Success-Killing Moves?

by Erica | Jan 22, 2014 | Business Design, Inspiration, MoneyMoneyMoney

Being successful is hard work, ladies.

If it were easy, well, there’d be a lot more of us sprawling out on the couch in yoga pants on Monday mornings instead of hitting the road for the morning rush.

Instead, many of us stay stuck in route patterns & routines for weeks, months, years – even decades.

Why do we do such things? Why would we rather dig into another PLL Netflix marathon than actually write that blog post (when we know that blog post is going to get us closer to where we want to be)?

…’Cause change is effing hard, ya’ll. It requires feeling uncomfortable & awkward.

But I’ve got news for ya, babe:

Yep. To get the lifestyle you crave – y’know, with the money in the bank, the accolades, the delicious feeling of following your heart, the fabulous shoes (just me?) – you’re gonna have to change things up.  It’s a scary but true fact that the most wealthy & championed womenpreneurs know – and use to their advantage.

‘Cause like Einstein said, insanity is doing the same thing over & over & expecting different results.

You may not even know where or why you’re stuck. But as someone who spent years spinning her own training wheels before finally pedaling off into the land of Entrepreneur-ville, I’ve got some insight for ya.

Today, I’m gonna fill you in on a few moves that are slaughtering your chances of sweet success before you’ve even had a chance to sip your morning latte. Ready? Leggo!

1. You’re Staying In Your Comfort Zone.

If you wanna rise to the tippy-top of your industry, you HAVE to leave your comfort zone.

Of course, everybody’s comfort zone is different, so there’s no one-size-fits-all rule for what this looks like.

Take me, for example. I’m extremely shy in my regular day-to-day life, so leaving my comfort zone includes accepting (sometimes butterfly-inducing) interview requests, lining up multiple sales calls in one day and, you know, leaving the house to work instead of kickin’ it in my VS PJs. Maybe those things seem like a piece o’ cake to you – and if so, that’s great! Leaving your comfort zone might mean speaking at a telesummit or shipping your saucy new book to the publisher.

I read an amazing quote the other day. It said, “Everything you truly want is right outside your comfort zone” – and it’s soooo true! If you already HAD what you wanted, it’d be IN your comfort zone. Makes total sense, right?

The good news is that you don’t have to start rock climbing or jetset off to France with nothing but a backpack to expand your c-zone.

You can start (uber, uber) small, like reaching out to a blogger you adore & pitching yourself as a guest, or simply pushing ‘Publish’ on your newest sales page before it feels ‘finished.’

The better news? Every stiletto-step outside your comfort zone makes it grow, and eventually the things that terrify you will feel like NBD. (Trust me, guys. I used to be so anxious about driving that I couldn’t go anywhere involving a left turn. Now, I drive to major cities by my lonesome. Slow & steady wins the race!)

2. You’re Working in a Sucky Environment.

Let’s be clear on one thing:

You DO NOT have to work in a fancy high rise or have a Pinterest-worthy office space to become gloriously successful.

But you DO have to create a work environment that nurtures your creativity, growth & inner peace. (Ommmmmm.)

Case-in-point: I started this business from my boyfriend’s basement, so I’m definitely not telling you to wait until you have the perfect office set-up to get your biz on. Hell to the no.

Instead, I’m urging you to do everything you can to protect your sacred creative space.

We all unknowingly soak up the energy in whatever environment we occupy. If you’re constantly surrounded by negativity – even if you’re the most naturally positive person on the planet – you’ll eventually be brought down, too.

So how can you ensure your environment is one that helps you thrive? Well, it might mean buying into a co-working space, so you can get out of your house once in awhile. It might mean skipping out on your roomie who looooooves partying at 3 a.m. on Wednesdays (’cause aint no empire-builder got time for that).

Or it might look even simpler, like buying a dedicated desk instead of constantly sprawling out on the sofa with your MacBook (and letting ‘Real Housewives’ hum in the background – I know what that leads to…). Or maybe it means decorating a spare bedroom with a vision board, quotes or other trinkets that inspire you.

It can even mean creating delicious creative rituals to begin & end your work day so that your environment stays peaceful, like lighting candles, jamming to a specific playlist or locking your damn office doors.

You’ve got to protect your creativity and your dream. Aint nobody else gonna do it for ya!

3. You’re Giving Off Bad Money Mojo

2013 was a major wake up call for me in the money department. After a series of financial foibles, I had to take a good hard look at my finances once & for all.

And even though it was scary, taking the blindfold off was actually the best thing that could have ever happened for both me and my business.

I’m telling you, girls. This shit works. I began doing work with forgiveness and cash over the summer, and by the fall, I had tripled my income. TRIPLED.

Even if you don’t think you’ve got money drama, chances are you unknowingly picked up a few bitter beliefs about the almighty dollar growing up.

Maybe part of you still thinks you can’t be both spiritual and rich, or that anybody with a padded bank account is greedy & salacious & probably earned their piece by scamming people.

If this sounds even slightly familiar, I recommend picking up Denise Duffield Thomas’ Get Rich, Lucky Bitch sooner than later to get to work on releasing your negative money mojo.

No matter how much you’re hustling, you’re stopping cash right in its tracks if you don’t have the right beliefs around money. So hop to it, sister!

4. You’ve Got a Serious Case of Comparisonitis (and You Aint Goin’ to the Doctor)

As they say, you won’t get anywhere comparing your behind-the-scenes with another’s highlight reel.

Online, we can meticulously control how we appear – and sometimes, when you see your competitors (or even your friends) living it up, lavishly sipping fruity drinks in itty bitty bikinis or boasting about their latest book deal, you can start to feel like a total failure (even if you just nabbed a totally sweet gig yourself).

You’ve gotta remember that wherever you are right now is perfect and exactly where you’re meant to be. 

It might not look like much, I get it. But I’m a firm believer in ‘que sera, que sera’ – whatever will be, will be. All in good time.

So what can you do to feel better about yourself and your biz while you build? Do yourself a favor & unsubscribe from your competitor’s newsletters. Quit hopelessly (Twitter) stalking your fave mentor. And give your own creative juju some space to breathe.

Keep your eyes on your own paper, and everything will be okay.

BONUS! 5. You’re Not Taking Small, Consistent Action

I almost didn’t include this one, but it actually may be the most important. You can be doing all the other things (except for number one, really) and not actually be doing anything that will drive your business forward.

If you ever wanna build that fancy empire, you’ve gotta stop the info. devouring, and start the info. creating.

Because successful people make their mark. And that’s the truth.

YOUR TURN! //

So there ya have it, loves! Are you guilty of any of these success-killing moves? Have you fallen prey to any other barriers to success?

I challenge you to pick one thing on this list & STOP doing it – today. Then, make a public declaration in the comments so we can support you! We’ve got your back, lady love.

P.S. Another easy way to ensure success? You gotta know how to talk about your business with flair + finesse. If you’re struggling to come up with the syntax to describe your work, you’re in luck. I have a few more Mini Message Makeovers available in January at my BETA rate. We’ll work on your cocktail pitch, come up with a killer core message and more. Read more + nab your own makeover here.