Years ago when I was starting my coaching business I received a call from a woman In distress.

 

She was suffering. Anxiety and panic attacks at 3:00 am, not taking care of medical condition of lymphedema and she wanted to lose 50 pounds.

 

She said she heard me talk at a local hospital to a group and didn’t know where else to turn. She was desperate and wanted my help.

 

 

When I heard that I thought, “ this woman can’t afford to work with me.” She has no job and no money. Maybe I should just offer a 1 off session to help.

 

And then I stopped and asked myself. Will 1 session help her lose 50 pounds, help her take better care of herself or help her learn the tools to manage these 3 am attacks?

 

The answer was obviously “NO!” So why would I offer something that wouldn’t help her get the transformation she was telling me she wanted?

 

What did I do?

 

I told her I could help her and that what she wanted would take time. I said I would be happy to support her and gave her the options of working with me in a 3 month or 6 month program.

 

And I let her decide what she wanted.

 

And guess what? She wanted my VIP 6 month option. She paid the first payment on that call.

 

And she told me she was excited to be starting a new job the next month.

 

She DID have the money. Even though she was out of work at the moment.

 

But it wasn’t my job to know or decide that. It was hers. She decided what she wanted and what she wanted was support to create a better life for herself.

 

If I had only offered what I “thought” she could afford, I would have been keeping her from having the full experience SHE wanted.

 

It’s a lesson I’ll never forget.

 

So hear me on this. It’s actually not our job to know, or to:

 

second guess a potential clients financial situation, decide if they “should” spend the money to work with you, discount your fees on a whim or make up “money stories” on their behalf.

 

 

It IS your job to price your services and programs at a level that reflects all of your years of experience. The investments of time and money you’ve made in getting your certification. And allows you to cover your business expenses, pay yourself well and be profitable.

 

It IS your job to fully believe in yourself and the value of the transformation you bring to your clients. And to learn how to communicate that value clearly to your potential client.

 

And it IS your job to offer your support and trust that the right clients for you will see the value in the transformation they want and decide to work with you.

 

How easily they can afford to do that and where and how they get the money to do that is their responsibility not yours.

 

 

No money stories, no guilt for charging for your services.

 

Just clear communication and a belief in the value of your work.