Asking For What You Are Worth

Asking for what you are worth does not mean that you have to become a pushy saleswoman.I know that many women in business today are frightened or repelled by the idea of sales. Some have even told me they think of SELL as the worst of the four letter words. But sales to me, isn't about obnoxiously 'selling' anyone anything. In over 15 years in business I have 'closed' over $20 million in business for a variety of clients, projects and companies, but I don't tell you this to brag. I have never used aggressive or pushy tactics, I have never twisted someone's arm, and I have never sacrificed my integrity or the integrity of the person I was working with. Because sales to me, is about understanding what the other person wants and needs, and helping them find a solution. If you think about it, I'll bet that most of you love to HELP people. Or if I asked you why you do what you do, you would tell me that it's because you want to HELP people. It doesn't matter if you are a coach, consultant, cosmetics distributor, speaker, fitness trainer, nutritionist or dog groomer - if you love to help people and you are not making the money you want, or living the lifestyle you want, then you are going to have to get better at helping people buy your solution.All my clients love to help people, and through our programs they are able to help more people buy without sacrificing their integrity, their self worth or their morals.But how do you ASK?By becoming a skilled negotiator!Donald Trump is one of my favorite negotiators. In his book, How to Get Rich Trump has an entire section dedicated to mastering the secrets of negotiation. Following are his highlights:1) It's all about persuasion, not power2) Study persuasion and learn how to listen3) Get on the same level with the other person4) Think beyond the traditional boundaries (it's not always about money)5) Be reasonable and flexible6) Trust your instincts7) Know exactly what you want8) Make sure both sides come out winningWhile I go through these in detail with my clients, I have added a few additional elements based on my experience over the years. And the first of those additional principles is preparation. You must prepare, prepare, prepare. Know and understand the other side as much as you can.My father, who was a master negotiator used to tell me, that the first person to talk money loses. But how do you get the other side to bring it up? I can teach you 3-5 questions to ask that are guaranteed to get the other side talking first.The second principle is; knowing when to SHUT UP! Thankfully we teach this too, but it's not as easy as it sounds. Remember my public relations consultant that I told you about in the overview of The 5 Fatal Flaws?I had brought her to meet another client of mine because my client needed some specific PR help. I had already done the preparation work and essentially believed that if these two ladies felt a personal connection, then my consultant friend would get the business. We discussed my client's needs and then turned to my PR friend and asked her what her rates were. $125/hour she confidently stated, and then without taking a breath, added "but I can do it for less."Because I know both of these ladies personally, I called her on it. My client hired her at her regular hourly rate and my PR consultant friend signed up for the Beyond Bitch program. No matter how much you know and how uncomfortable 30 seconds of silence can be, you must learn how to stop talking.