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How much your
client can afford is relative to their values
and beliefs of what is important. It is not your
job to lower your price so the client can afford
you. It is your job to help the client see the
connections between their values and your
services, regardless of how much money they've
spent on other items. In other words,
don't lower your price because the client says
she can't afford you.
What a client
can and cannot afford is all relative. For
example, I know a woman who enjoys eating out at
expensive restaurants, though she claims she
cannot afford to go on vacation every year. On
the flip side, I know families who rarely eat
out and cook low cost meals at home, so they can
afford to vacation twice a year. Therefore, it
is valuable to the first woman to eat out and it
is valuable to the other people to go on
vacation. What they can each afford is based on
their values of what is important, not on how
much money they have.
What people
choose to spend their money on and what they can
afford is not the job of the restaurant, nor is
it the job of the vacation spots. Just as it is
not your job to lower your price just because
the client wants you to.
You have to
help the client see the value in your services
by learning more about what is important to them
and why. During your initial visit with the
client (either on the phone or in person) you
must ask them questions about what they want
and, more importantly, WHY they want it. Buy
uncovering "the why" behind their
wants, you can help them connect their needs to
the value of your services.
Don't just
pitch your services to the client, ASK them what
they want. Then follow up with a question (or
several questions) which help you understand why
they want it.
Keep in mind,
if the client continues to whine that she cannot
afford your services, then move on. Don't lower
your price. If she wants you and finds value in
your services, she'll find the money to be able
to afford you. |
