This week, someone challenged whether a tiny business should be charging for hand made cloth face masks at the moment. Her comment was that this was PR suicide and taking advantage of a crisis situation and they should be given away to those who needed them.
The women in this amazing group responded by making orders, showing photos of the masks they had bought and with support for someone providing a valued service and pivoting her business at a time of need.
Many women, me included, feel challenged to charge our worth, or indeed know our worth so today let’s look at this hot and timely and emotional topic!
Is it ok to be charging in a crisis?
1. We all have bills to pay, mortgages, rent, children to support. We all also have businesses to keep afloat which not only serve us and our families but also serve the economy. We pay tax, we contribute to the general wellbeing of our community in some way with our services.
YOUR BUSINESS IS IMPORTANT. You have to keep charging and offering your services in exchange for money.
Should I discounting my services?
Have you noticed Tescos or Aldi discounting their products at this time? They have actually stopped their special offers so they can focus on getting supplies to those who need them at a challenging time. That’s serving the community and keeping the business afloat.
But is it different for a my small business? I’ll share my example. Right now I’m running a hugely discounted Money Mastermind starting on Tuesday 14th April. (You’re welcome to come!)
It is a Crisis Special, designed for the Winning Women group I started seven years ago this week and it felt the right thing to do. I am going to give phenomenal, life changing value for just £97. It would normally be £297.
Confession. My “Nurturer” Archetype wanted to rescue all the Winning Women. I want anyone to afford it, to emerge from this “Crisis” stronger and ready to have a powerful business. That’s why I priced it at £97, a the idea being that money should not shop anyone attending. I’m even offering payment plans.
However, I caught myself not promoting it well because when we undercharge for our services, there is an energy mismatch if on some level we feel we are giving it away. Also, prospective clients may think it won’t be valuable as it’s too cheap..
When I got out of my own way and promoted it to a wider audience I’ve had a modest and enthusiastic take up. This has been a massive learning. So book now! It will be much more expensive if I run it again!
Be really clear on the value of your services. My course will change someone’s finances for ever. Do a special price for a limited time period and don’t be surprised if people don’t value it or still tell you it’s too expensive! We will be looking at this much more in the course.
3. “No-one has any money at the moment”.
A friend who sells very scrummy cakes said this to me, while providing cut price cake boxes for people stuck at home over the weekend and offering to deliver them on her bike. She had been watching a lot of news and has lived on benefits for many years.
Truth. A lot of people are still on their normal salaries, their income hasn’t changed at all. They have also had holidays cancelled, they can’t go to the cinema, eat in a restaurant or buy a coffee every day. There is money in the economy and it is waiting to be spent. Not by everyone necessarily but maybe these people aren’t your clients anyway.
4. Who is your ideal client? You are only marketing and talking to them.
No-one else matters. Keep that focus. If you have a business, an ideal client profile needs to be updated on a regular basis.
Your ideal client values what you have to offer and recognise the full extent of the transformation your service brings to them. This might be that a money course with me can make a five fold increase in your income and save your marriage or that a cloth face mask could save your life and protects others from you too. Priceless.
5. We are to empower each other, not to rescue.
Always see the strength in someone, not their weakness. You do not have to rescue the planet. I’m speaking to myself here. I’m a Nurturer archetype and I know many of you here are too.c
Rosemary is a Money and Business Coach for heart centred women. You are welcome to book a Discovery Call with her here!