IT'S OK TO CHARGE FOR THINKING...
CARA'S
CORNER
I'm excited about my next offering - a series of quarterly teleclass
in which we take stock, realign with our passion and purpose and
make the adjustments necessary to propel us forward.
I keep learning and learning and realized I needed took take
some time out to decide how to apply what I know to my business
planing. I'm inviting you to join me on a quarterly realignment
of your business at the time of the solstice and equinox. The
first two-week teleclass is CULTIVATE
YOUR BUSINESS STRENGTHS I invite you to join me.
As part of my personal reality check I saw that I have always
valued and enjoyed the agility of my mind and that it truly was
OK to charge for thinking...
Warmly,
IT'S OK TO CHARGE FOR THINKING...
It's really OK to charge for the time you spend
thinking about and for your client, It took me a while to figure
that out - until I realized that the time I spent studying the
clients present material and position, letting the myriad of ideas
that came to mind expand my vision for them, and then giving a
lot of thought to the best direction for them to take was the
most valuable aspect of my services.
And at one point I wasn't charging for that!
I expect to include 15 minutes before and after
a coaching call with the price of the call. I use the first 15
minutes to study their Coaching Call Prep Form to see what they
have accomplished and what they want to talk about. That form
also lists their homework for the past week so it is easy for
both of us to keep moving forward. The 15 minutes after the call
is spent in condensing my notes into the Coaching Call Prep Form
for the next session.
Humm, let me think. Knowing that I spend an
hour and a half per coaching call makes me wonder - am I charging
enough? Perhaps not.
But it was when I started tracking the other
times I spent planning for a client that I began to build a Planning
Time & Review Charge into my proposals.
For instance, when it comes to web design I
partner with Judy Stewart of www.jstewartdesigns.com.
She's the artist. I'm the content developer. But we may spend
30 minutes on the phone working out details of a design or copy
placement for a client. Why should either one of us give that
important time away for free.
Another client had a very complex site that
he wanted to redo and I spent about an hour and a half studying
his site, and figuring out the best site map navigation and plotting
our strategy. I need to be certain I charge for that. It is after
all, the core decision making process that will fuel our mutual
success.
Don't sell your brain power short
I'm selling my brain power - my creativity,
my intelligence, my vast spectrum of knowledge and experience.
I'm selling my ability to see the client's vision and help her
bring it into a tangible and profitable internet business. That's
worth something. In fact that's worth a lot!
In your proposal build in special pricing for
planning - your planning time. It takes time to read through a
new client's web site and get a picture of who they are and what
they want. It takes time to update and track the decisions and
planned actions. I have a very strong Client Intake form that
I ask my clients to fill out before we begin. It takes time for
me to read that and pull out the strategy we should pursue.
Put a price on your thinking
I have two types of pricing. One is for a coaching
session. The other is for the time I spend writing copy, strengthening
copy, doing research and designing their marketing strategy. I
charge by the quarter hour and I list on the invoice exactly what
I was doing - created site map, wrote copy for home page, etc.
Don't give your ideas away for free
I also don't give a free consultation. I have
too many great ideas that will make money for my clients to give
them away. I do have a free initial exploratory conversation to
discover their needs and how I might best serve them. Then I write
a proposal - a Scope of Action. This gives me time to look at
the notes I took while I talked to them and personalize my proposal
and plan exactly how I'd like to proceed and what the client can
expect to accomplish and by when. I also send them my Magnetic
Marketing Method Client Intake Form which gives me powerful information
upon which to build our sessions.
It's hard to predict how long we will work
and I'm still working up the nerve to say "You need to work
with me for six months." I know I have to have ten sessions
minimum to bring the content for a complete web site into readiness.
I probably ought to make it 12. People usually want boundaries
- an end in sight - an estimate for their budget.
I have several packages of varying lengths
for coaching but I always add a price for my thinking time in
my proposal. No one has every objected. My intelligence and creativity
is the most valuable thing I offer and it's worth every penny
- or should I say every dollar!
It pays to get paid for thinking!
©
Cara Lumen 2008
www.caralumen.com
WANT
TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-MAGAZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as
long as you include this bio with it:
Cara
Lumen,The Vision Distiller,
helps proactive entrepreneurs
translate their passion into a profitable presence on the internet
with a minimum investment by using time, energy, information,
and imagination. Through The Magnetic Marketing Method she offers
innovative, inexpensive, and impactful ideas for internet marketing,
content strategy, and signature product development. You can find
more insightful articles like this in The Success Magnets Emagazine
at www.caralumen.com
WHAT
CAN AN INTERNET MARKETING COACH DO FOR YOU?
