As a coach you’re in the relationship business.
The heart to heart business.
So it feels weird/icky/dangerous/cheeky/exposed/downright wrong to ‘sell’
Because how can you put a price on the work that you do?
Selling yourself? A bit of your soul? C’mon! That’ just feels … urgh!
AND…
You love doing it (most of the time anyway) so shouldn’t that be reward enough? I mean, we’re all raised to believe that we need to work hard to be successful. And if this stuff feels too easy then…how’s it worth the money someone would pay for it?
Yet in order to carry on coaching in any real way, you have to bring in the bacon.
So how do we square that circle?
What do you believe about money?
“Listen – of course money changes everything, but so does sunlight, and so does food: These are powerful but neutral energy sources, neither inherently good nor evil but shaped only by the way we use them.” Elizabeth Gilbert
Tell me if any of these are take up familiar space in your head:
- There’s so much inequality in the world – making more money than you need is selfish
- There are so many selfish rich people in the world – I don’t want to become one of them.
- Only people who’ve been doing this for years/been to such and such a school/had over x clients/written for Huffington post/spoken at WDS…(insert barrier here) can justify charging those figures.
- I’m not worth charging… (insert figure here)
- Deep down, I don’t think anyone will think I’m worth paying for.
- I want to help the people who can’t afford to pay what my peers are charging – they really need my services.
- What will people think of me if I charge…(insert number here.)
- My life is about so much more than money. Money is shallow. Wanting money is shallow.
- The change lies with the client – it’s hard to quantify what I actually do – so how can I put a price on it?
- The 1% ruined our economy. – If I want to become ‘rich’ I’m just like them.
- I’m disgusted at the inequality of this world. I don’t want to add to it.
- It’s selfish to want to earn more than I need to cover the basics.
- If I wanted it badly enough I’d be rich by now – so I can’t want it badly enough.
- If I just worked that bit harder I’d be rich (the problem is I’m exhausted).
- Rich = successful. Poor = lazy
We all have beliefs around money – the question is – are they helpful beliefs?
Beliefs are things we take to be true without evidence. This isn’t to mean that they’re wrong – just that not necessarily right. Our beliefs are often tied to our moral code, values, upbringing, social conditioning and experiences.
In the western world our culture is filled with conflicting messages around money – On the one hand the rich, selfish Wall Street types who trashed the economy, to celebrities swimming in wealth so vast they almost literally don’t know how to spend it (A diamond encrusted Blackberry? Seriously?!)
On the other hand there are people working service jobs using food banks because they can’t afford to feed themselves on their minimum wage, not mention those on welfare, or the millions across the planet who live without basics like clean water.
Oh and add in a consumerist society that basically measures value on the amount of ‘stuff’ you possess and it’s all a bit of a head f*ck!
So it’s no wonder we’re confused and tying ourselves in knots.
Let me simplify it for you:
There is nothing wrong with charging a decent amount for what you do.
There is a world of difference between being a corporate raider intent only on profit and destroying the little guy/gal and earning six figures from your coaching business.
A WORLD OF DIFFERENCE
Try This
It’s helpful to uncover those pesky unhelpful beliefs so you can decide if they’re a) true and b) serving you
Complete these sentences with whatever first springs to mind. You don’t have to shape your answers or write what you’d like to believe – this is about unearthing. Choose a spirit of loving curiosity towards yourself. You’re not judging here – just noticing.
Money is ……..
- Rich people are …….
- If I was wealthy ………
- To make more money I’d have to ……….
- My parents/carers always said money was ……..
- If I charged $(Insert outrageously scary amount) it would mean….
- If I charged $(Insert ‘reasonable’ and non scary amount) it would mean….
What did you discover? Any beliefs not serving you in your business? Leave me a comment, or email me and let me know – I’m happy to help you move past them.