Not Sorry

A few weeks ago, I visited this gorgeous little jewelry shop tucked away in Footscray. It's quite a unique little spot, I had only found it because it was favourite of a friend of mine and she loved their unique pieces, but also how lovely the owner was whenever you visited.

I had gone in to buy a birthday present for said friend, a $400 ring for her birthday that myself and a few of her girlfriends were all pitching in on.

Whilst I browsed, I overheard the owner speaking to a woman who was getting a piece altered, and they were discussing her options and, in turn, the prices.

"So if we do it this way, it will be $130, but I can probably do it for less. And then if we do it with the plated gold, it will be $180, but I can see if I need to charge that much and let you know"

This made my ears prick up.

She was pricing apologetically.

The way she was communicating was immediately devaluing her service because she was trying to balance the price she needed to charge and trying to negotiate herself down on behalf of the client.

Now this is a nice store, it's not Tiffanys (and it's not trying to be), but people come to this store because they want to pay for quality service, quality results, and an experience that leaves them feeling good about what they just purchased.

And this interaction was changing that.

I waited until the customer left, approached the counter and started to make my purchase, and we started talking about what I do.

"I help creatives with pricing" I mentioned, knowing what was likely to come out of her mouth next.

"Oh my god. I need someone like you in my life"

Thankfully the store was empty, a rare quiet moment, so I asked her if she had 10 minutes to do a mini money mindset session right there and then.

And what a jampacked session it was.

We discovered that when she communicated her prices, she felt guilty that she was taking money from others. She wanted to be affordable to everyone and felt bad if she was outside someone's budget. She also wasn't someone who spent money on herself, especially if it was anything fancy or pricey, and her spending habits were deeply rooted in necessity and an absolute need for anything to be a justified purchase. This all started in her teens but was woven through her money story.

I then asked her this question:

"Do you see yourself as a luxury item?"

She paused. "I guess so."

The cogs started turning and I could see things starting to shift.

"When people come into your store, I can almost guarantee that a majority of your customers see their ability to afford what you sell as a personal achievement that they have earned. You aren't the most expensive, but you in their minds are the most valuable. Let yourself be valuable"

At that moment, another customer walked in, and the moment was complete. I finished up my purchase, but was incredibly aware that I may have just had an unexpected impact on both of our lives.

This is the sort of thing I live for.

To help someone see their genius clearer than they have before. To enable someone to look at their business and reframe for opportunities they didn't see before. It's like a sugar high but wayyyyy better.

In a few days, I'll be sharing the next way I'm offering the opportunity to shift the way you think about the ways you can make money as a freelancer. If you read my last email, you'll already know what it is, or maybe you have jumped on the waitlist, but there's also a serving I'm saving for Saturday.

Stay tuned...