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Understanding the Price War
Spread the Word – Friends Don’t Let Friends Work With Bad Clients
  March 7, 2012
Sedona, Arizona
It’s frustrating when clients haggle with the fees you set for your services.
Understand this: There is no one with the power to lower your fees but you. So if you take on a client and are frustrated that you “had” to lower your fees, just remember who actually did the lowering.
You did.
In every situation where I’ve ever lowered my fees to “get the business” it was me who made that decision.
So if I want to stop doing that, there’s only one place to look for the solution: I have to look to the guy in the mirror.
Try this little experiment the next time a client asks you to lower your fees.
Simply say, “I’m sorry, but I can’t do that.”
You may or may not lose the business. That’s not really the point. What you will have gained is control.
You made the decision to reject business that did not fit with terms that you found pleasing.
In the long run, that is far more important. (In my experience, however, I’ve found that developing this skill can be a challenge. But it’s one that is well worth pursuing.)
You are in this business to benefit your life by adding value to the world.
So there is no reason to accept business under terms that do not adequately benefit your life. The small voice in your head will tell you that you “have” to accept things like this to survive. Maybe, maybe not. We are all free to believe any story we want. I’ve certainly given in to that little voice many, many times.
But think bigger. You can do better than listen to that little voice. It is not there to help you.
Get creative and start attracting a better quality client to your business.
In the end, the problem isn’t the client who wants to haggle about your fees. The real problem is the marketing machine that brought them to you with the idea that asking for a discount is even in the realm of possibility.
You have the power to end having to lower your fees to “get the business.” (There’s another tactic you can use to deal with this when clients put pressure on your fees. I mention it on page 42 of this.)
The bottom line is that it takes real guts to stick to what you want and insist on getting it.
You don’t have to perfect the skill, you just have to start working on it.
Try it.
See you next time,
Jason Leister
Editor, The Client Letter
Creating Success for Independent Professionals
ClientsSuck.net
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