This past week by far the biggest question I heard from folks who registered for The Sacred Moment teleclass was some variation of: “How do I stand in my price?”
In the past I’ve written about Your Resonant Price, and how to reach that in your heart. But, I want to approach it from another angle today.
For me the question of “How do I stand in my price?” remains unanswered because half the question is missing.
The Other Half: “…for X Service.”
Let’s take a look at a simple mathematical formula: X+Y = 12
Now, if you ask a mathematician (or even a 9th grader), if they are willing to stake their life on the answer “12,” they are probably going to come back atchya:
“So… wanna share with me what X or Y is?”
Is your service a variable?
If your service is just a general kind of a thing: “Sessions” then you are going to run into this variable-thing-problem.
Meaning, it’s going to be hard to stand in almost -any- price, because it’s a little unclear what you’re selling.
Now, I grew up in retail. When customers came to my family’s store and bought something, they knew exactly what they were buying.
With services, it’s a little more uncertain. And of course it is, because you can’t guarantee that at the end of the session, they are going to have X.
So how do you nail down X, when you can’t?
Many healers, coaches and consultants of all stripes, have a legitimate beef about this ‘nailing down the X’ business I’m harping on. Clients’ journeys are so individual, and so magical, who knows where they’ll end up? It’s hard to define something like ‘inner peace’ or ‘a sense of well-being’ or ‘the next level.’
Acknowledged. You’re right. You can’t do that. I really, really get this point, and honor it. It’s a sacred, amazing, miraculous journey you take people on.
But, whoa! Don’t chuck this nailing-down-the-variable piece so quickly.
Identify the symptoms they need help with.
Someone wants inner peace, but they also want their money situation to be better. Someone wants full health, but they also want to get away from the nagging backache that’s been dragging on for twenty years. Someone wants a fulfilling career, but they also want to know how to deal with a bullying boss.
If you can name the symptom, you can find more confidence in your price.
Because it’s no longer about you.
Of course your heart is going to have trouble feeling good about charging for whatever gift you’ve been given. Of course it’s going to be hard to stand in that with clarity. I’ve had my share of being wobbly, too.
But, if you are focused on the symptom that your client is wanting to clear, and you think about the resources that it will take to support that client in clearing that symptom, suddenly it’s perhaps a little easier to stand in your price.
10 + 2 = 12
But of course. Who could argue?
Is it still seeming a little vague, or hard to get at it? Let me give you a few pointers.
Keys to Customer Math.
• Take a few moments and name the symptoms.
I know I discussed the symptoms up above, but take some time to really think about it: What symptoms ARE your clients trying to clear? List them out.
Now, take a moment to really feel in your heart how much pain and struggle they are having with those symptoms. A lot of pain, eh? Okay, let’s not sit there too long, on to step two.
• What will it take to clear that symptom?
Okay, so you can’t say 100% sure that you can solve it in 5 sessions, or even 10. But, if you have any experience with your clients at all, I bet you can make a pretty decent guess at the minimum amount of whatever you do that it will take to create some good movement.
No, don’t get wishy-washy with me. Of course it’s variable. Of course each client is individual. But really, take a moment and sink into your heart and ask: how much of whatever it is you do means that you have really good odds that the client will make some satisfying progress with their symptom? 3 sessions? Four months? What can you say with some confidence, even if you can’t make a guarantee?
• Now check your price against that.
With your price set for the package which is meant to help create satisfying progress towards clearing the symptom, how does the price feel now? I’m going to guess that you will feel more solid about it for two reasons: 1) the price is no longer about you, and 2) you have some real confidence that they will get something they’ll be happy with.
Feeling comfortable with your price has a lot of different variables to it, but if you can eliminate as much of the variable problem as possible, suddenly it’s going to be a whole lot easier to stand in a price that’s worth charging.
