Loading ...So we’ve been having this fantastic conversation over at our Virtual Assistant Mastermind Forum. A new member who is in the very beginning stages of her Virtual Assistant business was considering offering her services pro bono for a limited time. I think she instinctively knew this might be selling herself short and it prompted her to ask the group if this was a good idea. And the group, of course, validated what she herself knew already–that it would only attract those seeking something for nothing, and those folks almost never turn into real paying clients.
We explored where this idea might be coming from and the new member confirmed that a lot of it was being new to business and not having confidence just yet. It was a wonderful, educational conversation. Confidence is something everyone struggles with to some degree or another and in some aspect or another depending on where they’re at in their business. It’s completely normal and doesn’t make you any less worthy of owning and running your own business. But if this is something you struggle with, I do want to tell you that offering your services for free isn’t going help you grow in your confidence. In fact, it can have the opposite effect and trample all over the professional self-esteem you need to develop in yourself in order to be successful and attract the right kind of people into your life.
First, in practical terms, here’s why pro bono doesn’t work:
1. It devalues the very thing you are in business to offer and make money from. You never want to bargain with your value that way.
2. It only attracts freebie seekers. Trust me, nearly no one ever turned a pro bono freebie-getter into a long-term, retained client. It’s kind of like a one-night stand. They just don’t turn into relationships and the guy does not respect you. And don’t let the one person in the world who is the exception to that rule try to sway you otherwise. Just because they didn’t get killed walking across the freeway doesn’t make crossing the freeway on foot a good idea.
3. It’s a very bad precedent to set in your business. Being a new business owner will require you to hold yourself and the work in high regard. Because if you don’t, no one else will either. And once you start bargaining with your professional self-esteem, it’s downhill from there in ways you will have never anticipated. Working with folks who are there to get something for free will have you stepping all over your boundaries and standards and prevent you from gaining that healthy professional self respect you need to be in business.
None of this will help you grow your confidence. What does grow your confidence is charging appropriately and asking for the fee. Of course, at this point, you’re saying, “Yeah, that’s all well and good, but I have to have confidence in order to do that!” Right?
No, you don’t.
It doesn’t take confidence to build confidence. All it takes is the self-knowledge to know that lack of confidence isn’t a place you want to stay in, a desire to grow into greater confidence, and a willingness to stretch beyond your comfort zones. Charging clients is exactly one of the things that builds your confidence as a new business owner. Not charging clients just keeps you stuck and will be a much longer, more draining path. How do you think you’re ever going to get it (confidence, money, respect, you name it) if you don’t ever push yourself to expect it and then practice asking for it?
Fear really is your only roadblock. The crazy thing about fear is that it is self-imposed. Sure, it’s real, but your confidence will only grow (and grow most quickly) if you put your foot down and simply decide to suck it up and ignore the fear. Get angry about it even! Tell fear to get the hell out and don’t let the door hit its ass on the way out! And then ask for that fee.
Once you pick yourself up off the ground and get over the shock of “Wow! They didn’t bat an eye,” your confidence and belief in yourself and what you have to offer will have just leapt over a building. This is the beginning of your journey into professional self esteem and getting more and more comfortable charging what you’re worth and asking for–and expecting–your fee.
Of course, it isn’t always going to be like that. You will get clients who balk at paying. You will get clients who aren’t a fit. That doesn’t mean you cater to them or bend your standards or change your business to fit them. And you aren’t going to handle every experience smoothly. You’re going to be rough and imperfect and inconsistent in the beginning. But that’s okay because these are the experiences you absolutely do NEED. The idea isn’t to avoid them altogether. They are very necessary learning opportunities that will help you grow into your consultation skills and get better and better at articulating your value, honing your message and standing firm in your expectations and standards for yourself and your business.
Don’t let fear win. Don’t cave in. You ARE a hero. Overcoming fear is a success worth striving for and celebrating!
Let me...
