State the price without shrinking it

Women's confidence · Little Light original

A client asks what the work will cost, and the silence after the question feels larger than it is. You may rush to soften the number, mention a possible discount, or explain how flexible you can be before anyone has objected. The price begins shrinking under the weight of an imagined reaction. Build the fee from the scope, responsibility, time, and value involved. State it clearly, then leave enough quiet for the other person to consider it. Questions can be answered and terms can be negotiated without treating your first number as something embarrassing. Commercial confidence is not indifference to budget. It is clarity about what the work requires. You do not need to make yourself smaller to make a proposal easier to receive. Give the work an honest price and give the client room to decide. A respectful no is better information than an anxious yes built on terms you already know you will resent.

Little Light