I'm not charging enough.

As a creative professional, it's important to remember that your work has value. You provide solutions for your clients, and you deserve to be paid fairly for the work you do. If you're not currently charging what you're worth, don't worry - it's never too late to start commanding the rates you deserve.

It can be all too easy to undervalue your work. Especially with all the "poo-pooing" of creative industry jobs and the all too often blatant disregard for artistic professions and career paths. While it's true that creativity often doesn't follow the traditional rules of business, that doesn't mean your time and talent are worth any less. In fact, as a creative professional, you have a unique skillset that allows you to provide real solutions for your clients. And that's worth a lot!

Truth is, if you don't believe in the value of your work, no one else will either. If you're constantly cutting your rates or giving away your work for free, you're only devaluing yourself and your craft. It's time to start charging what you're worth!

Get clear on the scope.

Be clear about the scope of the project from the outset. When you're writing up a proposal for a client, make sure to include all of the deliverables you'll be responsible for as part of the project. This will help them understand all that goes into your process and appreciate the level of effort required.

Tell them how you'll help them.

When chatting with clients for the first time, give them a heads up that the creative work you're delivering will tackle their problems head on. This will aid them in realizing the true worth of your effort and help them feel at ease with their investment.

Provide quality services to justify the increase.

Provide value at every opportunity and go above and beyond whenever possible (while honouring your boundaries!) this will help increase the perceived value of your work and make it easier to justify raises or price hikes when they become necessary. If you would like to learn some more about providing a premium service, click here for a free resource designed to help you do just that!