The service is described by a caller-in to a teleseminar for “spiritual” women about how to master your money mindset and dramatically increase your income fast.
I’m listening to the MP3 in my car.
A hairdresser who has never actually worked as an image consultant (or whatever she would be called) explains that she has provided well-received advice on hair, makeup, clothing, etc. to family, friends, and strangers for free. (Well, of course. Every hairdresser gives advice to customers. Customers never argue with someone wielding sharp-pointed scissors.)
Now the caller would like to start her own business supplying this advice for pay. She is working from a blank slate. No idea on how she would structure her business.
So the coach brainstorms on how to implement the idea. Why not offer a personal, one-on-one service lasting two full days that brings in other expert service providers? The target audience for the purpose of discussion could be women entrepreneurs.
The program could cover color selection, clothing styles, hair, makeup, and a shopping excursion. It could culminate in a professional photography session to create polished photos for publicity purposes.
A clever idea, I think.
Does $1,000 sound about right to you?
I would maybe even be interested in using such a service. But I’d guess it’s expensive. It may cost as much as $1,000 or even $1,500, I think, given that the MP3 is about growing your income.
I am both right and wrong.
I am right that the program is expensive, but I am wrong by a factor of 10. Yes, the coach threw out $10,000 to $15,000 as the suggested fee!
Out in my car I guffaw.
The caller continued the conversation as though nothing out of the ordinary had happened. Actually, she concluded by commending the coach who “put it all into perspective.”
From my perspective as a regular kind of gal working with regular-people clients, I’ve got a much different perspective. I wouldn’t spend all that much money because I don’t work in a milieu where that much style would yield such a tremendous increase in income.
Throughout the entire conversation there was no sign that the caller traveled in such elite circles either.
If the caller was coaching Gwyneth for a red-carpet entrance at the Oscars or Hillary for pancake breakfasts in Iowa and New Hampshire, I could see it. But I’d think that most women entrepreneurs are managing their resources to invest where their businesses need the resources most. (Furthermore, the proposed fee doesn’t appear to include clothing costs.)
How to charge what you are worth
This story leads me to a brief discussion of “how to charge what you are worth,” which appears to be the single most popular topic in the freelance and consulting world.
I think a more honest title would be, “how to charge more.”
Has anyone ever explored their “worth” and decided to decrease their fees? Even when soloprofessionals are not engaged for assignments due to sticker shock, they assume it is because they have inadequately explained their value or even because the prospects want to exploit labor.
Originally posted 9-7-15