Confidence and Silencing the Voice in Your Head
The biggest problem most professionals have with their pricing starts with a lack of confidence. The solution to this problem starts with a change in perspective. The Price and Value Journey is presented by John Ray and produced by the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX®.
TRANSCRIPT
John Ray: [00:00:00] And hello again. I’m John Ray on The Price and Value Journey. Let’s talk about confidence and silencing the voice in your head. What’s the biggest problem most professional services providers have with their pricing? It’s lack of confidence. Hands down, no contest.
John Ray: [00:00:20] Most professional services providers I’ve worked with are secure in the notion that they can solve client problems. That’s usually not the issue. The lack of confidence manifests itself in that smirking little gremlin who stands on your shoulder while you’re in conversation with a possible client.
John Ray: [00:00:40] That prospect asks you about your pricing, and the gremlin starts whispering in your ear, “They’re not going to go for it. They’ll tell you you’re too expensive. You need this business, don’t screw it up now. If you don’t cut the price you came up with, you’ll lose the business.” You hear comments like this in your head and then you fold like the proverbial cheap suit. Whatever pricing you came up with, you backtrack. You can almost hear the cackle of the gremlin when you do.
John Ray: [00:01:17] I recently coached a client who hadn’t raised prices since she started her consulting practice. She priced by the hour – now, that’s another problem altogether. I asked her how she arrived at her hourly price. “It just felt right,” she said. “It felt right to who?” I asked. “Well, I didn’t think I could ask for any more.” Well, those responses from her revealed the problem. The focus is on her as the services provider.
John Ray: [00:01:50] Lack of confidence can be solved by a singular focus on the client. What’s the problem that the client has that you’re solving? How will their life change for the better because of your intervention? What’s the value of the solutions you’ve discussed? This perspective and the work which goes into establishing answers to such questions allows you to value price, to price based on client understanding of the value you deliver.
John Ray: [00:02:25] If there’s a question about how you came up with the price, the answer is centered around a perfectly appropriate answer, your pricing to capture just a little piece of the value your client receives. It’s fair to them. It’s understandable. And it’s a win-win for both sides.
John Ray: [00:02:42] Then, it’s not about you anymore. It’s not about the imposter syndrome or you thinking you’re not good enough. It’s not about your hourly rate or whether you deserve that amount. If you’re pricing conversation is grounded in the value you and the client have agreed the client will receive because of your work, you’ll be amazed at how much confidence you seem to have. And you’ll silence that smirking little gremlin.
John Ray: [00:03:13] I’m John Ray on The Price and Value Journey. If you’d like to connect with me directly, go to john@johnray.co or go to my website, johnray.co. Thanks again for joining me.
About The Price and Value Journey
The title of this show describes the journey all professional services providers are on: building a services practice by seeking to convince the world of the value we offer, helping clients achieve the outcomes they desire, and trying to do all that at pricing which reflects the value we deliver.
If you feel like you’re working too hard for too little money in your solo or small firm practice, this show is for you. Even if you’re reasonably happy with your practice, you’ll hear ways to improve both your bottom line as well as the mindset you bring to your business.
The show is produced by the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX® and can be found on all the major podcast apps. The complete show archive is here.
John Ray, Host of The Price and Value Journey
John Ray is the host of The Price and Value Journey.
John owns Ray Business Advisors, a business advisory practice. John’s services include advising solopreneur and small professional services firms on their pricing. John is passionate about the power of pricing for business owners, as changing pricing is the fastest way to change the profitability of a business. His clients are professionals who are selling their “grey matter,” such as attorneys, CPAs, accountants and bookkeepers, consultants, marketing professionals, and other professional services practitioners.
In his other business, John a Studio Owner, Producer, and Show Host with Business RadioX®, and works with business owners who want to do their own podcast. As a veteran B2B services provider, John’s special sauce is coaching B2B professionals to use a podcast to build relationships in a non-salesy way which translate into revenue.
John is the host of North Fulton Business Radio, Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Radio, Nashville Business Radio, Alpharetta Tech Talk, and Business Leaders Radio. house shows which feature a wide range of business leaders and companies. John has hosted and/or produced over 1,100 podcast episodes.
