Putting a price on your skills, work, and services is really hard - it comes up time and time again in DiscoLink Club; it’s by far the most popular topic of conversation within our private Discord. And even the most impressive and highly accomplished people I know struggle to name a high price just as much as anyone else. 

In our AMA with Cassidy Williams, Cassidy mentioned an undeniable truth: it’s easier to negotiate prices (in this case, she was talking about speaking rates) when she’s doing it on behalf of someone else. If it’s a friend she’s negotiating for, she’s a bull who pushes and sells (and gets!) the high rate. But if it’s on behalf of herself, it’s suddenly incredibly difficult. 

It echoes this tweet, and it’s something I’ve heard from others often as well. When I’m selling anything but myself, I can sell anything. When it’s me we are talking about, I wilt. 

I’m not a psychologist, and I don’t know if this phenomenon has a name, but that shouldn’t stop you from working with this reality. 

I don’t know that I fully support creating a general inbox where you fake being another person (though I’m not fully against it, either!) - but what I am saying is find your own little tricks to make it feel like a friend is doing the ask for you, that you’re not the one doing it yourself. 

For me, that has been writing the email with the big, bold ask that makes my stomach squirm and having my best friend hit send because I couldn’t bring myself to do it. 

Or a big bestie pep talk right before the phone call. 

Sometimes, it even helps to simply schedule the email to send in an hour instead of sending immediately, that way you never feel like you’re actually doing the asking, you’re deferring it to the future (when it’ll auto-send anyways).

Give it a try, and let me know if you come up with any other techniques that trick your brain into thinking you’re asking on behalf of a friend, not for yourself ❤️

— Irina, Saron, and the team behind DiscoLink

Coming up: AMA with Jonathan Stark

Next Tuesday, October 29th at 9 AM PT/12 PM ET/4 PM UTC, ​Jonathan Stark will be joining Saron for an AMA to dive into how he used value-based pricing to double his yearly income, and how you can do the same.​

Jonathan is a former software developer on a mission to rid the world of hourly billing. He is the author of Hourly Billing Is Nuts and the host of Ditching Hourly. He also writes a daily newsletter on pricing for independent professionals.

​>> RSVP HERE << ​

​For nearly fifteen years, Jonathan worked as a software developer building products for clients as a consultant and, like most consultants, charged an hourly rate. Then, one year, he decided to do things differently. Instead of charging hourly, he tried value-based pricing, and that year, he doubled his income.

He’s now on a mission to spread the word about the power of pricing your expertise instead of billing for your time.

​Jonathan is also a successful founder in his own right, growing his one-person business into a range of different products and services. He writes a daily newsletter to over 10,000 subscribers, he’s written five books that have been translated into seven languages, he offers private high-ticket coaching services, and a more accessible community for people who want to make more money as solo consultants.

​​​Topics we’ll cover:

• ​How he doubled his income that first year of value-based pricing

• ​How to think about consulting when you have a full-time job

• ​How to write proposals that close

• ​How to negotiate

• ​How to make money without working more hours

• ​How to increase your income without hiring

• ​How he grew his newsletter to thousands of subscribers

• ​Why he decided on a daily (!) newsletter and where his ideas come from

• ​How he created a content strategy around his business​

​>> RSVP HERE << ​

​​This event is hosted by DiscoLink Club and is free and open to the public- feel free to invite anyone who you think would find it interesting!

Don’t Miss Out

Our bookmarks from the week - good reads, listens, and general inspo from all around.

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