Whether you charge a million dollars for your art or ten dollars, do you believe it is worth it? Why?
Just so you know, I can disprove every rational argument you make as to why you are worth it.
Look how much you get for the money. I can get it for less. We are super creative. So is the next gal. We have tons of experience. Again, so does the next gal. We are passionate. Who isn’t? We are customer service oriented. Are you kidding?
Nope. The only way you can believe you, your art and your creative business are worth it is to know you are.
Surprisingly, knowing you are worth it has nothing to do with confidence. Sure, you have to be confident in your abilities, your gift and your willingness to own the responsibility given to you by your clients, employees and colleagues alike. That is never enough though. You have to know why you do everything you do. Not just shooting the photograph, but everything leading up to it. All things with a purpose. The purpose that works for you and makes you and your creative business the best in the world at what you do. Every. Little. Detail.
Clients, of course, will resist. They want to do things their way so they stay in their comfort zone. If it will take you out of your process, your vision for success, it cannot happen. Yes, you work for them but it is your work, your art, that they need. Your show, not theirs.
Think this is easy? Think again. Here is a paradigm that needs to die today and has no place in creative business – line item pricing.
Yes, clients need to know what they are getting for their money so you still have to provide the list of items. But the price of each item? Completely and utterly irrelevant to the conversation. You can either provide an amazing finished product for the budget or you cannot. It will not be more amazing if the sofa is $5,000 not $7,000.
If you are in the money saving business, you lose. There will always be someone cheaper. You are in the value business. Can you deliver on your promise? I will blow you away for this budget. Yes, I will make the money I need to sustain my art and my creative business, no more no less. In exchange, you will receive the transformation you seek. You will be moved. Period.
When you do not truly believe your story, you will argue with me over the value of line item pricing. Clients have to be able to compare, to know what they are buying. Ahem, they are buying your art and its ability to move them. Never the thing.
Standing in your own integrity is beyond hard. There will be panic. Deep desire to retreat to a world of yes even when every fiber of your being says you have to say no. Use the panic as a signal you are on the right track. To build the belief system you will need to only do your best. To be able to explain why every breath matters. Why the journey is yours to share with your clients, not the other way around. To live the truth of your story as you see it for your art and your creative business. That is faith and that is the obligation you signed on for when you decided to do what you do for a living. Owning the obligation is what will bring you and your creative business to yourself. Nothing better than that for everyone involved in your world.
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WOW, Sean, this is your best post.
Extraordinary insight. Thanks.
WOW to you Seth. Thank you so much for reading.
I loved it! I always enjoy reading you but this one is over the top! Loved the way you approached the view of value on a creative business. Thanks Sean!
I could not disagree more. Line item pricing tells your client exactly what they are getting for their money. A couple of years ago I bid a job versus a friend, and after I won it, we shared estimates. His was “$x,xxx” and mine was 25% higher but with all the items spelled out. The client later told me I won because I was very specific about where their money was going and it looked like I’d considered all the possible variables that could go into their project, whereas my friend looked like he has picked a number out of thin air.
Also; line item shows them, “hey if we still want doug but can’t afford a (rush fee, makeup artist etc) we might be able to easily see how our costs can be impacted.”
Totally see your point Doug. And love the discussion. To be really clear, I am totally against a number in the air. Your client needs to know everything they are paying for. That said, pricing each item does not make sense to me as it is not a relevant discussion, your overall cost is what matters.
Ok, but on larger jobs, clients need to often compare apples to apples on jobs that can be triple bid. If they can’t easily do that, if you are the only person not line iteming, you could be quickly ruled out of the running. On the converse, if you’re too low or don’t account for costs they know should be there, you can show your I experience and that could lead to a client questioning your ability to produce for them. I have line itemed everything for years and I think it engenders trust with my clients as they can see everything clearly and share within their team easily.
Hear you and where we agree is that it is about building trust. My challenge to you is only to consider whether what you have been doing for years can be done better. Whether you can tell a better story. Appreciate that being easy to compare to is not necessarily a positive and, all too often, is the very definition of self-limitation.