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Take Yourself Off the For Sale Rack
By Tiffany | December 30, 2007
Some of you may have heard this story - back when I was ghostwriting full time, I had this guru who you all know who always asked, “What will you charge me for this?” I had worked with him for years, so my pay had increased from about $15 to $20 over that time and he could barely stomach $20 per page - even though he bragged about making millions.
So whenever he’d have a new project, that question would always arise. It made me nervous. I wondered, “Should I be charging less for this?” Obviously he was more experienced in this market than I was and I didn’t want to risk losing my clients. Sometimes I caved and charged a few dollars less because I didn’t know any better.
Then one day he sends me a transcript to work from - from one of his many seminars. In it, there’s a section where he names me and starts laughing about how he convinces this ghostwriter to whittle down her prices. You know how the gurus always teach you to do that on freelance sites? That old, “This is an easy job for someone who knows what they’re doing” tip?
I was pissed.
So pissed that from that day on, I charged him full price for everything and then quit working with him altogether. I couldn’t trust him and didn’t like the fact that he’d named me at a seminar and shamed me, in effect! “Look how stupid Tiffany Dow is - she can be conned!”
I’m a nice girl, really. I give everyone the benefit of the doubt from the beginning. But once you cross me, I can turn into Cruella De Ville - a real witch!
I guess I should be thankful to him. He made me take myself off the For Sale rack, as Suze Orman puts it in her new book Women and Money. I raised my rates from $20 to $35 in ONE day and got booked far more than what I could handle. It helped me discover that I shouldn’t underprice my online products.
My Guide2eBooks.com book IS worth the $47 I charge. Forget it’s a book - it’s an education. It’s like hiring a mentor for yourself for a one-time $47 fee. You can’t beat that price. The Squidoo eBook at socialmarketing101.com? Hell, just this month I made over $300 on one lens - so take that $47 education and stick it in your Christmas stocking!
I love this newfound power that I’ve had ever since I had the spotlight shined on my low self worth. I hope you gain it, too. You may not have a guru to humiliate you, but read Suze’s book Women and Money (even if you’re a man) and get the education you need to succeed to your fullest extent - that’s the key phrase right there!
Tiff 
Topics: Pricing Your Product |