I can always sense when someone isn’t confident about asking for money. There’s usually a telltale hesitation in the voice, and words that come out as an apology.
Many of us have been brought up not to talk about money. Money is still a taboo subject, and we don’t like to talk about it, so we don’t. But if you want to claim what you deserve, it’s no good saying, “I hate asking for money.” You will have to learn how to change, because it won’t happen on its own.
Think about the last time you knew you should be charging more, but instead, sold yourself for less. What were the consequences? Here are some possibilities:
You tired yourself out.
You accepted less than you are worth, so you have to earn more tomorrow, never catching up on yourself.
You belittled your value.
You gave your customer an extra dose of time. You gifted them with a portion of your life, belittling the value you place on your life. Your time is your life.
You devalued your worth.
You gave away free information. You undermined the value of your intellectual property or special skills that you invested time and money acquiring and developing.
You exposed your lack of wealth consciousness.
You demonstrated your ignorance of or disdain for the power of money to accumulate, and compound, over time. The money you didn’t make this time can’t be put to work for you until you’ve earned it.
You made it harder for yourself next time.
You denied yourself the chance to acknowledge your self-worth and you taught others to undervalue you. You signaled to your customer your availability to be exploited. “Here I am, going cheap! Be my guest—help yourself to the profits.”
You reinforced your own doubts about your self-worth, digging yourself deeper into the rut.
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Byline: Jane Francis is the author of "Price Yourself Right”. To find out more go to: www.priceyourselfight.com .
