I used to be a news junkie but after years of hearing nothing but
bad news I became pretty jaded to it all.

However, it is pretty tough to ignore headlines about the economy
and the upcoming election. The problem is that business owners who
are doing fine are afraid to invest in their businesses and move
forward as they should.

I poked my nose into MSN.com a few days ago and it prompted me
to share my thoughts with you.

There were two headlines that stuck out and they were right next to
each other. You may have seen them.

The first said, "Another Massive Drops for Markets." It seems the
Dow dropped another 7% and this certainly is something that you
need to pay attention to. But should you stop moving your business
forward?

You tell me. Here was the bordering headline:
"Historic pistol sells for $920,000 in Maine."

Someone just spent almost $1 million on an old gun. No other way
to look at it. I know what you are probably thinking. The rich
get richer...

But here's the deal. I bet the man who sold the gun is doing ok.
He has some disposable income to spend now that he unloaded a
family heirloom. He said he's going to invest in property in his
home state. You think a couple realtors and land owners are happy
about that? You betcha!

How about the auctioneer? They made $120,000. I bet their
employees are doing just fine despite the rotten stock market.

The fact of the matter is this one single transaction will put some
extra spending money in quite a few pockets.

You can make a choice and decide which headline you want to give
most of your attention to. But remember that the sun is always
shining somewhere.

Again, you CAN'T ignore the fact that our economy is suffering a
major "correction" if you will. But that doesn't mean that you sit
there paralyzed either. There always have been and always will be
people with money who are more than willing to spend it on services
and products that they value.

So, what can you start doing?

1. Be sure to always focus on the VALUE that you offer your
clients. The price should be an afterthought. If they truly value
what you have to offer and it serves them in a positive way then
they will pay you what you are worth.

2. Make sure that your market understands what they LOSE by not
engaging with you. What might their life be like 3 months from now
if they work with you? Now, what will their life be like 3 months from
now if they don't work with you?

Will they be sitting in the exact same spot they are now? If
you're talking to them then they are interested in change. It's
your obligation to remind them of the value that you bring and
where they will be if they DON'T work with you.

In summary:

**Set a price or fee that makes YOU happy.
**Make sure that you over deliver the value.
**Remind your prospects of the value that you provide and what they
**Lose by not working with you.

Now go out and take care of business!

Cheers and Success

Tom Buford
http://chargewhatyoudeserve.com
Providing fee-setting and marketing strategies so that business owners can begin charging what they deserve.