Whats the Big Deal?????

If you own or are thinking about starting your own company then this post is for you.  One of the biggest problems that I see with companies and individuals just starting out is that often times they grossly undervalue their time, goods, or services. At times individuals who are trying hard to get off the ground make lofty promises and charge meager prices in an effort to get someone to sign on the dotted line.  This is a huge mistake.  If you don't see the value in what you are offering how can you expect others to see it or compensate you accordingly.  Imagine a brand new foreign car with custom wheels, state of the art navigation system, heated and cooled leather seats, tinted windows, surround sound, and the like.  Now imagine that someone offered to sale it to you for only $1,000.  The first thing that you might think is "Whats wrong with it?" or "it must be stolen."  In other words you won't invest your $1,000 in something that appears to be too good to be true because you know that the value is off.  If something should be valued at $75,000 why would anyone want to sell it for only a fraction of that.  Understand that reputable companies follow the same mindset.  If everyone else charges $500 for a service that you promise to do for only $50 your potential client will think it is too good to be true.  Moreover, they will not respect you as a professional or value your work.  It is your job to know who your competition is, what they charge, why they charge it and who they charge it to.  You must then take that knowledge and seek to articulate why people should pay you to do it instead of do it themselves or hire your competition to do it for them.  Respect yourself and value your work enough to charge a reasonable wage for your services.  Offering ridiculous or crazy deals will frustrate you because you won't attract the cliental your looking for and those whom you would like to work with won't work with you because you appear desperate.  Don't sell yourself short; you are worth your work!  -Derek A. Terry, Principal Consultant, www.ConsultingDAT.Com