When I switched on my Mac, an email with the red flag and ‘urgent’ in the subject header immediately caught my attention. It was from a client who operated in a specialist niche.

It had been a while since I’d heard from them.

The urgency of the situation was palpable in the client’s email: “Can you call me urgently, please?”

Diane explained that a client she had been working with was in need of an innovative approach that would give them a strategic advantage.

She was tasked with drafting a proposal/presentation for the board, and she believed my expertise could greatly contribute to this.

I thought, who can help me? You popped into my mind.

She told me the customer wanted to work with them as they know their industry.

She asked if I would work with them to win that account because it would transform their business if they were successful.

She stressed the need for immediate action, as the proposal had to be ready before the weekend was over. Could I meet as soon as possible?

I asked several questions to see if she understood what made this potential client click: Why is this important to them now? Why you? etc., and I would vigorously challenge every answer she gave.

The opportunity to help this client win the contract was worth the interruption to my weekend plans.

The chance to show how I could turn this around at short notice and establish a deeper partnership made it even more appealing.

We did everything but discuss fees, which I should have clarified during our call.

When I fully understood what needed to be done, we would need to get our heads down, but nothing I couldn’t handle.

As this was an emergency (2 days), the fee would need to be higher, but I was nervous about asking for it. If they won the contract, the value would be in the six figures for them, and my fee would be tiny in comparison, but still, I was dithering.

She turned to me and said, “How much, Morton?”

A million thoughts—or, should I say, fears—flashed through my mind. My heart started beating faster as I pulled the bottled water to my lips to give me courage as I knew what I wanted to ask for. – we always do.

I know what I’m doing but don’t want to seem like I’m taking advantage. “This is a serious opportunity, and the deadline is tight. I can’t ask for our standard fees.”

“I need to start high and work down—even if they think I’m greedy.”  if I start too low, I will regret it forever”. So much for you and your value protestations. These were all the whisperings in my ear.

So, I took a deep breath and said my fee.

I was tempted to justify it, validate it, and almost promise that I would sleep in their office on the floor all weekend until she submitted the proposal, but I kept my lips shut – somehow.

It was way more than I had ever asked for, especially considering it was for two days on the weekend. It seemed preposterous as I said it. It was preposterous to me—but not to the client—because they knew what was at stake.

They agreed.

We pulled together a fantastic proposal. I smiled from ear to ear when she called in jubilation to say she won the contract. Her  client kept saying, “it’s almost as if you were in my head; you understood all of my concerns; this presentation is excellent. “

Once you’ve dared to own your expertise and experience and ask for what you think you should charge, which might be (2x, 5x or 10x) what you usually charge, you will never want to go back to bowing or not believing that you are good enough and that with your intervention you make a MASSIVE difference, you’ll never want to undervalue yourself again.

Here are some secrets about valuing your expertise…

  • That kind of client appreciates you more as they respect your knowledge and experience.
  • The work tends to be more rewarding because you can see what it does for your clients—higher profits and revenues.
  • You will become more discerning about what you are prepared to accept and not play around with
  •  You will feel good about sending the smaller clients to swim in another pond.

From first-hand experience, it’s much better to work with clients who respect and appreciate you. You can charge a fee reflective of your knowledge and the value you add.