However, there's more to pricing than setting your basic prices. If you have years of experience, offer fast turnaround, and are prepared to handle jobs on weekends, and overnight, you can charge more.

What if you up your rates, and your clients won't pay your increased prices? I promise you, if you up price to what you're honestly worth (and you know this, you must, if you've been at your trade for any time at all) and you lose clients, you would have lost them anyway.

Who knows why clients bail? Paradoxically, I've lost clients when I lowered my fees, never when I upped them. Go figure. Maybe they thought my services were worth less because I charged less. The reason I lowered my fees was always because I liked that particular client, and wanted to do them a good turn. Which proves adage that no good deed goes unpunished.

Nowadays I'm tempted to up my rates if I like working for a particular client.

==> Value adding--- your secret weapon, proposal

A diamond is worth more than a lump of coal: you can charge more if you deliver more.

Proposals are my favorite value-adding tool. If you can see an area where client needs some input, why not create a proposal?

Proposals cost little: maybe a couple of hours of research, and an hour to write. They're a supreme goodwill gesture. They show client that you've been thinking about his business.

The worst that can happen is that client says no.

If you're unsure about how to write a proposal, type "writing a proposal" into any search engine for loads of resources.

So, are you a price taker, or a price maker? If you're unhappy with what you're being paid, it will show in your work. For that reason, you must work out a pricing strategy you're happy with. And stick with it.

==> Additional Resource

If you're a newly independent creative, or want to brush up on your pricing skills, check out :

http://www.digital-e.biz/articles.html

This is Elena Fawkner's excellent piece called: "Pricing Yourself to Get and Stay In Business".

***Resource box: if using, please include***

When your words sound good, you sound good. Author and copywriter Angela Booth crafts words for your business --- words to sell, educate or persuade. Mailto:ab@digital-e.biz

Web: http://www.digital-e.biz/

**END**

Your cards can help you get positive

Try this "Negative to Positive" process. You use your cards face up. Here's how:

1. Sort through your deck until you find a card which portrays your current situation. For example, let's say you have some money worries. If you're using Universal deck, or Rider- Waite, you might choose 5 of Pentacles.

2. Now look through deck again, until you find a card which shows a scene where your money worries are solved. Perhaps you picked 10 of Pentacles. A much more cheerful card!

3. Put 5 of Pentacles on left, and 10 of Pentacles on right, in a straight line. Leave some space between two cards.

4. Now it's time to daydream a little. Pick out several more cards, perhaps two or three, showing a progression from misery of 5 of Pentacles, to security of 10 of Pentacles. Choose whichever cards you please.

5. Lay cards out in a straight line.

6. If you have a little time, you could write a short story, based on cards, of what could happen to you to take you from 5 to 10. The story can be as fantastic (in fantasy sense) as you please.

7. Or, make a sketch of 10 of Pentacles, which you can carry with you as a good luck charm.

8. OK --- you've spent 20 minutes or more with cards. Do you still feel negative? I'm sure your mood has shifted.

Positive energy from cards

Look through your deck, and choose cards which you find most positive from major arcana. You might choose 19 Sun, 7 Chariot, and 21 World.

Put one of cards on desk in front of you. Close your eyes and do some slow, deep breathing for a few minutes until you're completely relaxed.

Open your eyes, and look at card. Pick it up and hold it. You may be able to feel a subtle energy. This is energy of card, as it exists in you.

Try same process with other two cards. Is there a difference in energy? How does energy of one card differ from another?

Next time you have a black mood, pick out one of your 'positive' cards, and just relax with it for a few moments. You'll feel your mood change.

***Resource box: if using, please include***

Interested in running your business creatively? Visit Digtial-e --- Info to go!

http://www.digital-e.biz/

Free ezine: Creative Small Biz --- http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Creative_Small_Biz/

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