This week’s question from our portal “Ask Us Anything” comes from Julie.
An old client wants to speak to me about coming back. She’s wonderful; she’s referred lot of people to me in the past. But I notice I feel awkward when it comes to talking to her about money and pricing. So much has changed in my business since I last spoke with her. I’m worried she might have “sticker shock” at my new pricing. Now I feel anxiety about my upcoming sales call with her, because I know her expectations will match the point at which she left me. I realized I’m matching the person who I was when she left me.
Do you have any recommendations on how to approach this, so that my mindset is in the right place?
The first question to ask yourself is: do you want to work with this person?
If the answer is no, then can simply tell her you’re not available.
If the answer is yes, then I would just talk to her about the reason why she wants to work with you.
I would say, “You should probably also know that my prices have increased substantially since the last time we worked together.” I would say it as a matter of fact, very confidently. That’s just an absolute.
Then put the ball in her court as to whether she wants to do it or not.
She may say no. It’s totally okay if she doesn’t want to do it. It’s okay if she rejects you — or if she has “sticker shock.”
A person can reject you for their own reasons, which has nothing to do with you.
Rejection is not something for you to take personally.
If you take their rejection personally, then you become a slave to other people’s opinions. That’s not freedom.
