The simplest way to get over the fear of discussing your fee

Many clients come to me to for help with their fears about discussing money. They may feel comfortable talking about what they do with prospects or how they would be served by working together. But when it comes time to actually say their fees, it becomes this big stumbling block. Sometimes people fear their fees are too high or that no one will want to pay what they’re asking.

But this is not the right way to think about what you are doing. Let me share a much better way of looking at the fee discussion.

You are not asking for money.
The truth is, you are not asking for money in the closing the sale conversation. This is a big distinction I want to make. You are letting people know which programs you have available and what solutions to their problems you offer. So internally you think you are asking for money and worry that the prospect might not say “yes”. But you are simply presenting options to help them.

The client is in control.
When a client chooses a program, they are in control right? In fact, you are both in control because you have created the options, laid out them out and aren’t going to veer away from them. But clients are in charge of making the choice, so you don’t have to worry about that at all. It’s up to them.

The secret for filling my practice.
I want to tell you my secret which I have used over the years to fill my practice. In the beginning, I picked a price point that I thought was fair – fair for clients and fair for me. I could only accept so many clients, and when I got close to filling my practice. I would bump up my rates. As my practice continued, I would sometimes raise my new client rate every three to four months. I did this because the demand to work with me was there.

The next piece of this secret can be very motivating for prospects. When my practice was nearly full, I would say, “You know I only have one spot left because I can only take this many clients. My rate is ___.” This positioning creates a bit of scarcity which is true– you only have so many slots that can be filled. If the person wants to work with you, they better jump on it.

Presenting solutions.
You are simply helping people to make a decision if working with you feels like the right thing for them. When you look at the closing the sale conversation this way, you are not at all asking for money. You are presenting the programs you offer with solutions to clients’ problems. And prospects are in control from there to decide if working with you is the right thing.

Your Client Attraction Assignment:
If talking about your program pricing is a stumbling block for you, I recommend practicing the “closing the sale conversation” on your own. Go over all the pieces and actually rehearse the presentation, saying it out loud to yourself. Going through the motions and saying everything out loud will help you get more comfortable when it’s time to really share your programs with a prospect.