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\nTime and again, I see photographers, designers, writers, makeup artists, filmmakers, bakers, and all \u201cprofessional artists\u201d whine about their clients thinking that they should just lower their prices for booking new prospects or closing new clients. Same goes for independent consultants.<\/p>\n
They go all-out defensive and say that what the people are really paying for, when they hire an artist or consultant, is not just something that can be done fast and easy. Instead, they are buying years of study, practice\/ expertise, professionalism, materials, even gas, food and the other incidentals needed to complete the output.<\/p>\n
It’s good to educate the market about the real deal<\/em> when buying art or coaching, however, here’s the surprise: most people already know and understand what the production entails, it’s just that when you’re booking new prospects,\u00a0they don’t think you are worth it<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Although it is a bitter pill to swallow, more independent professionals\u2014or freelancers, if you must–should remember that their market knows what they want, and if they make the purchase appear commensurate with the price, the market will<\/em> buy. We all know how there are so many artists who charge an arm and a leg but still get hundreds of clients on waiting list, don’t we?<\/p>\n So what’s the problem? Why are there a lot of freelance artists still struggling on getting paid with the prices that they want? And if you’re one of these artists, what should you do?<\/p>\n The first thing that you need to understand is this: people are primed to buy<\/strong>. Impulse products and luxury products are easy pieces of evidence that people want to spend, as long as they can tell themselves a story how their purchase is worth it.<\/p>\n When you meet with a prospect client and they feel like you are charging too much, that’s what we call Price Resistance<\/em>.<\/p>\n And here’s what you need to understand: price resistance comes from a gap in marketing and branding. These prospects know<\/em> what they’re buying and know<\/em> what they’re paying for. They just don’t think it’s worth it, when YOU do it.<\/p>\n One can be really good at what they do and it’s easy to justify how much a service costs (those skill investments are reasonable) but one may not be that good in marketing themselves and presenting their work, and themselves, in a way where people expect what price point you’re at. And it should also reflect what “value” they see in the work.<\/p>\n People come to famous artists knowing how much they would cost, and when they inquire, they’re ready to book, basically.<\/p>\n People come to 5-star resorts and restaurants not ranting if the food or experience was worth it. They don’t rationalize everything.<\/p>\n When people tell you you’re expensive and think twice about booking you, they’re not being disrespectful<\/strong>. It’s just that they cannot justify the value of the product because people buy with wants and emotions, and logic comes second.<\/p>\n Now, you might ask yourself: how can I fix this? How can I get rid of price resistance?<\/p>\n This will not happen overnight, and you will be surprised how it will need more than a few tweaks here and there. However, it’s not impossible, and with hard work, research, and consistency, you can do it too.<\/p>\n