Ask for the money your work is worth, even in COVID-times

If you're feeling bad about not having offered anything for free since the lockdown, or if you're about to ask for money now, this article is for you.

When the lockdown started, countless companies, schools decided to offer their services for free for the coming period.

How many services did you subscribe to? And how many are you still using? Well I just did a quick check. I'm using 2,5% of the free services I signed up for since the lockdown. Yet, So I also checked on the paid services. And I've been using 95% of those. And just took a moment right now to cancel the remaining 5%.

This quick check shows how much more engaging paid stuff is. Not because it is better. It simply makes it to a different shelf in our mind.

And I'm strictly talking about otherwise paid services, not ONGs or volunteer work. They will have an amazing value because of other reasons.

But unfortunately, even if it's the best of the best service, if something is not of vital necessity, something we now get for free might just fade away behind all the priorities we have.

Secondly, whatever effort we put into really going through a course or some content that has been offered to us for free, our effort will be at least five times as big on something we have financially commited to.

It works the same way with the classes and workshops you are offering.

People will value your free stuff, and will be grateful for it, but then they will show up less and less. Because there's nothing to lose.

Yet of they already paid for the month, they will be much more willing to allocate time to it and put their effort into it.

What do your (potential) students need instead of free classes?

• Tailor-made, adaptable services (for example more flexible hours, or a weekly payment option instead of monthly in these uncertain times)
• Motivation and follow-up, so that they don't give up - a plan to follow through with everything they've planned for even if it's difficult.
• Great technical support. If you give up, they'll give up. Sometimes it takes just a quick phone call to fix someone's audio issue with zoom, and you've won a student for another month

If you think it through, you will see clearly, that to be able to provide all the above, you'll need to make money. Because even a quick phone call takes up super valuable time.

Your drive and motivation can suffer, if you don't see people value stuff the way you expected. You might get to a point where you wish to be able to just leave everything.

Yes, offering some of your events or a trial week can be a nice addition to your product. But be careful before you give away too much.

Now how about decreasing your prices? Do you have to do that?

Unless the value of your product is decreasing, you really don't have to. I'd even say you shouldn't. Because again, you might feel you're giving away too much for too little.

If there's a student or a family in a really difficult situation, and your school's financial circumstances allow that you temporarily have them continue for free or at a very low price, go for it. But if you do it despite being able to afford it, think twice. Remember, if you are balanced financially, mentally, you will be able to help a lot more people, in more extended ways.

Please keep this in mind when making your decisions for the coming month.

I wish you strength, and hope I have been able to help you today.

Hugs,

Eszter