What’s Holding Me Back?

16 Nov What’s Holding Me Back?

Dear Talentpreneur,

Yes, I called you a talentpreneur. God gives us all talents and gifts that are meant to be shared with the world. But hey, I know sometimes that shit can be scary. When you put yourself out there to monetize your gifts, it exposes the very essence of who you are as a person. It’s truly a blessing and a curse sometimes because there is literally nowhere to hide and no one else to blame. You are in complete control of the revenue you bring in monthly.

So what’s really holding you back from making consistent money on a monthly basis? Let’s talk about it. Because I was once where you are. And if I’m being completely HOT (Humble, Open, and Transparent) shout out to Transformation Church, every month is not always profitable. It’s unfortunately normal, especially in the beginning to have inconsistent months. 

There are a few things that go into making money.

1. Put a value on your time, talents and resources.
2. Build a genuine and consistent online presence.
3. Create an offer.
4. Treat every client like they are your VIP.

Let’s break these down.

Put a value on your time, talents and resources.

We’ve all been asked that question, “Hey, how much do you charge to do XYZ?” But how many of us freeze up and start stuttering when trying to provide an answer? You know why you do that? It’s because you are scared to say the price you already came up with in your head because you don’t think they will pay it. Once again, I’ve been there. But why do we do this? I think it’s because our confidence has not yet been validated by customers and our peers. And to add to that, we are not confident in our talents yet. 

Now what am I saying here?

Here’s what I’m not saying, I’m not saying that you don’t need experience from previous clients. I’m saying you are in control of the packages that you put together around your services. If you don’t feel comfortable providing a premier service with a premier price tag. Then don’t. Create a smaller package at a lower cost and then get reviews and testimonials. This will help you with your confidence and give you more insight to the types of customers you truly want to do business with.

Now let’s go to the next one.

Build a genuine and consistent online presence.

This one is a thorne in everyone’s side, especially my fellow introverts. I’m sorry to say, it is 2021 and there is no way around it. Think about your own daily habits, when you want to try to find someone that does a specific service or trying out a new restaurant, the first place you go is Google. Then you may also check out their Instagram and maybe even their Facebook. You are doing the research before spending your hard, earned money. You are looking for reviews and looking to see if they post regularly. 

Well guess what? As a talentpreneur, you will have all of these things available for people when they start to look you up. 

Now I’ve heard plenty of business owners complain that they do not get any traction on their IG pages or on their website sites, even though they are updating them everyday. The thing is, you can’t just post graphics or pictures of your services everyday. There is no personality in that. People want to know the person behind the services. So yes, you may have to go LIVE once a week. Yes, you may have to post videos around the topics of your industry. Yes, you have to create engaging content. And not only that, you need to do it on a consistent basis. 

You don’t need any fancy equipment. All you need is your phone, Canva, and a video editing app (I use Videoshop). Last but not least, just hit the button and talk. The nerves will go away.

Create an offer.

You’d be surprised how many small businesses do not have an offer. How do you expect people to buy your service if you do not have an offer? The offer is a part of the experience that you are providing. Let’s use the example I spoke about in the beginning. Someone asks you, “How much do you charge to do XYZ?” You should be able to say I have a package that covers XYZ and ABC for $1,500. At this point, the ball is in their court. Believe me, they will let you know, either by their body language or response if that falls within their budget. If their response is, well all I want is XYZ, then you can say, “My lower package is $500 and it does cover XYZ”. 

The problem is, we tend to over dramatize this interaction in our head. The worst they can say is no, I’m not interested. 

Treat every client like they are VIP.

This should go without saying. You must be able to build relationships with your clients, deliver the results you promised and be responsive. I always say, when clients are paying me, I am on their time. If it’s someone who is trying to get my premium service for nothing, they are on my time. I tend to fill my time up with my family, friends, and my clients who are paying me for my time, talent and resources. So when I am on my client’s time, there is a level of urgency and efficiency that I move at. 

They know exactly what I’m working on and where we stand. I respond promptly to texts and make myself available for meetings when needed. But most of all I am honest with my clients. If they want something that is out of my scope of work, I refer them to someone else for that service. 

When you do a great job and your client is happy, ask them to do a review on social media or drop a review on Google. Many people don’t even think about leaving a review unless they are unhappy with the service. So if you just ask, most of the time, they will leave a review.

So what’s really holding you back? You are building a house that hopefully will be the beginning of revenue for generations of your family. Wouldn’t you want to make sure the foundation is laid correctly? What you are doing now is laying that foundation. It may take a little while for the cement to settle and become solid, but it always does. Don’t stop, make adjustments and keep it pushing.