From working with a ton of creatives on their pricing, I’ve found it’s important to remember a few things.
Artists have good hearts. We want to do things that are generous. We want systems that are sustainable. That means that we need to be able to put love into what we do. When we try to figure out how much money someone has to give us, or what are the standard rates, it can feel crappy because it’s comparative, confrontational, and transactional.
I tell people to ask the lowest price possible
Asking the lowest price possible is surprising to many people because they they know I’m negotiating 5-figure gigs.
The simplest system for pricing a gig is…
1️⃣ I imagine the whole job
2️⃣ I ask any questions I need to help imagine the job fully
3️⃣ give the lowest rate where everyone can walk away from the gig giggling
The root of underpricing fear is lack of fulfillment
The bad jobs where we feel we were paid to little are the gigs where they didn’t use us completely, or we feel like we gave them a lot that they didn’t need. The number on the check is completely separate from this.
We gotta be courageous in putting a price out there. If the client and i are on the same page about the offer, there’s no rejection possible. There’s only us agreeing if it’s a fit.
imagine the right way
We get better at this as we get experience. We know how things often go and what will be required. We know how tired we are when we’re done with a job, etc.
To imagine thru a job, we think about what’s gonna cost us jellybeans – (time, energy, money, and other resources [ like reputation ]) Then, we also imagine what’s going to give us Jellybeans. Now, money isn’t the only Jellybean on the table. When money’s the only thing, I charge a shit-ton.
In general, i listen for things like…
- is this person going to be fun to work with?
- will i be given the opportunity to succeed?
- how much value will they get out of me?
- am i irreplaceable in this situation?
- is there flexibility – If i had to cancel last minute, would it make little impact on them?
- will i need to do an irregular amount of work?
- what are travel and prep days?
I have tried making a perfect list of questions
This imagining process is better than a repeatable list of questions. It gives me the ability to truly serve my people.