I had a BLAST talking with Andy Epstein about strategies for keeping focus, being creative and leading with your strengths in corporate (or new to you) environments. Please listen in, tell me your experiences, ask questions and share ideas in the comments.

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3. Lead with what’s JUICY!

Are you working for free?

Are you “on sale?” Can you think of one job or project that you are either not getting paid enough for or aren’t sure what to charge for?

Are you asking for it (money, that is)?

How much do you charge for your services? Does it vary—wildly? Do you find yourself lowering your prices?

What are you afraid of?

1. Some of my clients worry about losing an opportunity. Others feel that they are not worth what the current market will bear.
2. Do you worry that you will offend a potential client or get a reputation for gouging?
3. Others may fear getting the job, because they will earn less money than it will take to actually perform the services.

Where do you go from here?

1. If you are worried about losing a job, I wonder: what will you give up to invest in the project versus having the client invest in your skills and talents? Does it promote client retention? Is it a one-time discount to a very special, long-term client?
2. Do you have a reputation for being a “Yes, of course I’ll do it,” person? If you think this client is calling you because you always drop your price for fear of looking like a Selly Tavales, PAUSE. Is this why you want clients to call? Imagine a neon sign above your head that says, “On Sale–Always .” Are you okay with that?
3. Figure out if the gig is REALLY up your alley and worth your sale price. Does the project excite you? Would it help an amazing organization do something really wonderful? Does this particular job put you in the spotlight in a unique way? Are you chomping at the bit to strut your stuff, with these clients, at this time? How do you calculate your hourly rate? If you don’t know, check out this terrific interview with Ilise Benun–she’ll steer you right (full disclosure, I chime in on that radio show, too).

Now, think back to that client, job or project–are you gonna take the gig?
Will you reconsider putting yourself on sale?

Here are some incredible resources to support you as you wind your way through these challenges:
Ilise Benun and Peleg Top go deeper into this challenge and give fantastic strategies for creative freelancers in their newest offering: Pricing and Marketing Secrets.
If you are interested in a more spiritual approach to money in general and pricing your services from the heart, check out Mark Silver. Colleen Wainwright highly recommends him and I think she knows her stuff, so I’m passing along her recommendation.
For those of you building an online presence and may need interesting ways to monetize that work, check the how to make money from a blog post Chris Brogan’s community-minded, business-savvy site.

Your turn:
When do you struggle with money, setting fees or discussing money with clients?
Do you have any interesting strategies to share?

Photo by timparkinson, used under a Creative Commons license.

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Click here to view the embedded video.

Pitch Perfect: 3 Steps to your perfect pitch

Ever find yourself in a panic when someone asks, “What do you do?” Here are 3 easy steps to take to create a perfect pitch, elevator speech or blurb. Please make comments and let me know your ideas for creating a perfect pitch. Ideas in this video are adapted from a tool developed by Colleen Wainwright and used with permission. Find out more about how fabulous SHE is at communicatrix.com.

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1. Pitch Perfect: How-To
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3. How-To: Get a Project GOING!