387. I hate talking about money

Hiong
Hiong
Jul 21, 2017 · 1 min read

As a freelancer/entrepreneur there is one discussion that you can never escape. Money.

And unfortunately it’s a topic that I loathe to talk about.

I always dread the moment in the conversation when people ask me for the cost. It may be part of my Britishness — we get uncomfortable talking about anything more personal than the weather.

Also, as the term “expensive” is completely relative to each person, it can sometimes be difficult to gauge how people will react. You can’t even guess the reaction based on the company size. Some large companies have tighter purse strings than many smaller companies.

I’m trying to learn to be more comfortable with these conversations and now I’m ok with telling people I can’t do the work if they can’t meet the rates (although sometimes I do give a discount if it’s a particularly interesting project). Before this I used to feel bad about telling people I wouldn’t work for them for lower rates.

My next step is to become more confident when I do deliver the costs to potential clients. I know what I can do and I know that I can do it well, so I should be more sure when negotiating. If I come across as uncertain then it won’t reflect well on my ability to do the work, it would seem like even I don’t think I’m worth that much, when I know that I am.

Who knows, one day I may actually enjoy these conversations about money.

100 Naked Words

Est. May 2016. 100 vulnerable words, one day at a time. Every day.

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Driving a more thoughtful, human approach to business. www.findhiong.com

Est. May 2016. 100 vulnerable words, one day at a time. Every day.

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