Every now and again , someone in a business oriented Facebook group complains or is very upset that a client did not tip them . I straddle two women dominated industries : pet grooming and integrative health services . It ’ s not surprising that both industries have a history of undercharging and relying on tips . Why is that ? Since childhood we have been conditioned to devalue ourselves either by repetition or emotions . Does any of this sound familiar from your childhood regarding money ?
• What am I ? Made of money or something .
• Turn off those lights .
• Money doesn ’ t grow on trees . Money is the root of all evil .
• You can ’ t have that Crissy doll , its too much money .
As adults , we are always looking for bargains , because , you know , money doesn ’ t grow on trees . We take that mentality to our businesses . Undervaluing ourselves because we don ’ t want to be viewed as expensive . We use excuses such as the market won ’ t bear it , the economy is down , I ’ m not experienced enough , and so on .
How about these simply because we ’ re women :
• Know your place . Nice girls don ’ t brag . Nice girls don ’ t make waves .
• Grew up in male dominated family . Father knows best . Men need to work and women stay home to tend to family .
• Earned 70 cents to the dollar as men in the workforce .
• If you ’ re spiritual , you can ’ t be rich .
Now the excuses are : I want to help people even if they can ’ t afford it , I don ’ t like confrontation so I won ’ t raise my prices , its wrong to charge so much money for my gifts , or I don ’ t want to be viewed as a bitch .
You know what ?
There are clients who don ’ t care what that Crissy doll costs and will love you if you provide a quality service .
What are the long-term results of undercharging ?
1 . You begin to resent your clients and your business . You ’ re angry . This is not the fault of your clients . You set boundaries and pricing , not them .
2 . You have to work harder to make the same amount of money . Lets say I want to make $ 2000 a week grooming pets . The three price points I have seen in my area are $ 65 , 75 , and 85 an hour . At $ 65 , I need 31 clients , $ 75 is 27 clients , and $ 85 is 24 clients . A groomer charging more money needs less clients .
3 . You ’ re more at risk for exhaustion and burn out trying to keep up with more work to make ends meet .
How can you expect clients to value you when you don ’ t value yourself ? What clients are you consciously ( or unconsciously ) appealing to ?
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