November 17, 2022

Hide the Wall Hangings

A few years ago, I worked with a bookkeeper who wanted to sharpen his proposals and achieve better pricing. As part of that work, we did a little role play as if I were the client.

“Lots of bookkeepers around,” I said. “Why should I hire you?”

“Well, I'm QuickBooks Pro Advisor," he began.

“Stop right there,” I said.

“Why?” He had a puzzled look.

“That does nothing for me,” I said. I went on to explain to him that the last time I checked, there were over 200,000 members in the QuickBooks Pro Advisor program. That statement, I explained, doesn’t tell me why you're the person to solve my problems.

I went back to my client role. “Here I am, my books are an absolute mess, and my wife is upset with me that I’ve missed the tax deadline. I’m bone tired, and on top of that, one of my best employees just quit today. And with all that going on in my life, you’re sitting here boring me with something I already know. Can you just tell me how you’re going to fix my problem?”

Most clients aren’t going to be so blunt, of course. The point, I explained to him, is that clients come to you with the assumption that you’re qualified to do the work. They’ve done their research, or they’ve received a referral from someone whose opinion they trust. (This is particularly true for bookkeepers, who get most of their new clients from referrals.)

Your certifications can get in the way of what’s most crucial if you let it. Those framed diplomas and certificates look great on your office wall, but the mistake is carrying those wall hangings around in your head like they’re the most important thing in the world.

Hide them. Take them down off the mental wall.

They obstruct much more vital, client-centered issues:

– The dysfunction that client is experiencing, which is the reason you have the privilege to be sitting in front of them in the first place.
– As you intervene in their dysfunction, what that client will be able to accomplish, the freedom they’ll gain, the renewed joy they’ll have in their business . . . all these things and much more reflect the value they’ll receive because you showed up in their life.

Those proposals and the pricing in them will get much easier.

Hide the wall hangings.

(Thank you, Anita R. Henderson - The Author's Midwife, for the prompt you gave me in a comment you made on a recent post.)

 

 

Image created using Craiyon (Formerly DALL-E Mini)

(This blog post was also posted on LinkedIn.)

©Ray Business Advisors, LLC and John Ray

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About me: I help solo or small professional services firm owners with the confidence and positioning necessary to improve their pricing and change the trajectory of not only their business but their life.

I have a podcast called The Price and Value Journey, which features interviews with industry leaders and audio versions of my blog posts. You can find the podcast on your favorite podcast app.

I also have a book coming out in 2023:  The Price and Value Journey: Raise Your Confidence, Your Value, and Your Prices to Grow Your Business Using The Generosity Mindset.

For more information, go to PriceValueJourney.com