Who Are You Talking To?

The person paying (or responsible for paying) the bill for your work is likely not the same person who wants and will enjoy it.  All over-generalizations, but for those in the wedding industry, bride vs. father-of-the-bride, even planner vs. bride.  For interior designers, husbands vs. wives and creative directors vs. construction managers.  For graphic designers, marketing vs. finance.

The value of what you do is appreciated by those that want to use you.  The mistake is in having these people sell your value to the person paying for your work.  Two reasons, emotion and language-barrier.  Your client (i.e., the one NOT paying the bill) hopefully has an emotional tie to your work that will probably not be shared (or wholly shared) by the person paying.  Because of the emotional tie, your client will probably not be able to explain why what you are providing is so valuable (i.e., worth what you are charging).

As a practical matter, your presentation of your business proposal should be as thorough as your product/service presentation.  It should be IN PERSON and directed squarely to those making the financial decision.  Make sure you understand and can speak their language.  If it is a corporate setting, think of ROI, initial and ongoing capital expense, longevity of the work, etc.  If it is a social setting, be prepared to defend your margins and to reconstruct your proposal (as opposed to lowering your prices) to fit a budget.  Show your proposal as base cost with additions.  Give choices with each outcome being a terrific result, but with choosing everything being the best.  Optimally, there is someone other than you performing this function for your business.  If it is you, then presume that the person paying the bill cares not about your art, but rather what it will do for them. 

I am a broken record -- people pay for what they value.  Your job is to explain and defend that value.  The person paying the bill may not realize that you understand and respect their position.  When you speak their language, you will be able to go so much further than if you had left it to your client to do the job.  In the end, it is the difference between an artist plying her craft and a business supplying the art of the artist.

Comments

[Erica]

This is so true. As I learned in journalism school, always speak to your audience. So important for relevance and the ever-important "What's in it for me?" question.

[Emee]

Bravo, bravo for this post! I definitely learned this the hard way in years past and now have an area on our intake form where we ask, "Is there anyone else you'll be making this decision with?" or "Will you be the one signing off on the proposal, or should we invite anyone else from your organization to this meeting?" We get their contact information as well and make sure we are presenting to their point of view.