Kill it early. Kill it soon.
Bad deals. You want them off of your way as soon as possible. That’s why you need to set up criteria for you to work on the project / with the client. And if you choose to go with it, you do it knowing. So that when it’s time (sooner rather than later), you churn. You’re running a business. It’s your responsibility to know and take action into the kind of clients you (want to) work with, while being profitable.
Why so expensive?
“Why so expensive?” When you get that question from a prospect, a few things could have happened. Here are 2: This is the first time they are seeing the price. You’re easily comparable to more things in the market. What do you think are other reasons for them to ask this?
Understanding what they want -> Simpler pricing
Don’t decide for them (your customers) what’s expensive. Let them do the math and thinking. What might be expensive for you might be peanuts for them. The only way to know is by understanding what they want.
This is not a fight
Time and You. It’s not a fight. It cant’ be won. Sure, you want to do more stuff. But is it, though? What if you could do LESS, in less time? Time is nothing but a constraint. If it were a resource, you could use it at will, you could store it, you could buy and sell it. So, what to do instead? First, make your peace with it. It is what it is. And it’s ok. Second, grab a piece of paper and jot down EVERYTHING that comes to your mind you would/could/need to do this year. Don’t filter it. Just…
Test and Validation
The most productive way to test something is not by making MVPs. Even before that, what you can do is reaching out to customers and ask them. The usual way to do business is: “I’ll build and they’ll come”. What if you just ask first, see if there’s interest (aka traction), and from there build? You might be able to kill quickly the bad ideas. Or look for better ideas to make it more impactful. Just go and test. 🙂
A core definition
Here’s a definition of creativity: It’s the ability to see (opportunity). You seeing that things / subjects / themes / applications from other disciplines can be translated into what you do is you being creative. You seeing different paths in your business, is also creativity. You seeing new/different paths in your practice with your clients, that’s also being creative. Just like originality. 🙂
The difference is the risk
The difference between charging 300K and 10K to the same client, project, and scope: the risk. The risk to ask what’s important to them. The risk to make and deliver on a promise. The risk to stop thinking of what you can do, to start thinking of what they [truly] want. The risk to walk away. The risk to push back. The risk to be the expert. The risk to think big for them. The risk of looking dumb. The risk to put your money where your mouth is. The risk of helping. Fortunately for all of us,…
The difference
What’s the difference between someone charging 300K for a job? And someone else charging 10K for the same job? Same specs. Same client. Same job. Same budget. Same timeframe. (and the client willing and ready to pay 300K without even flinching). Hint: it’s not the portfolio / previous work.
Do you know what’s the easiest way to not stand out?
Do the same as everybody else. Set prices based on the market. Focus on revenue at all costs (literally). Go for the easy sale (at the low price). Fight any chance you see change coming. Block crazy ideas. Do what you’re told. Not standing out is safe. Makes life easier. You face no resistance. You subdue. And then you fade.
Are you taking the hit?
So, tiktok is gone. At least (for now in the US) banned. Here’s what you hear: “It’s a big hit on brands and creators.” “It was a main revenue source.” “It was a strong comms platform to connect with new customers.” Now, the obvious (?) thing is to find other platforms where to leverage the same. Or is it? Because this is actually one more reason not to leverage these platforms as the key point for your comms. Same thing happened with Twitter few years back. And Clubhouse. And Facebook. And…