There is freedom waiting for you, On the breezes of the sky, And you ask “What if I fall?” Oh but my darling, What if you fly?”
Erin Hanson
Our loving parents wanted us to find friends, be accepted as a part of society, and thrive. That’s why they taught us not to talk about money, stir up trouble, or especially, brag.
The problem is, saying your price out loud often feels like doing all of that at the same time.
Objectively, it’s a similar task to delivering your hand-made masterpiece through heavy rain or telling your client that their “idea baby” is ugly. It feels bad, but it’s very much an important part of the job.
But saying your price out loud in the client’s presence is not: rude, vain, risky, or even unwelcome. It may feel like many of those things, but it is actually neither. Just as it’s your job to inform the client of your work’s features and properties, and its price is one among them.
It is very risky to skip talking about it, and very costly to hide behind the written form of a proposal to shield ourselves from the potential bad reaction. That reaction can reveal a lot, possibly that we are wasting our time with this client, or even that we didn’t charge nearly enough. (psst- here’s a link about that)
It’s natural to fear the fall – but what if, instead of falling, you discover you can actually fly?