A client asked me to figure out the appropriate price they should charge for their works, product and services in order to make a certain profit by the end of the year. I first asked them how do they think it should be priced and they had no idea. Hmmm.

So I offered a couple of suggestions.

1) At the very least make sure the income you make covers what you expect to spend.

2) Look at how your contemporaries (including organizations that engage a similar audience and customer as you do) price their wares. Decide whether you should be charging more or less based on your level of expertise.

After offering these two suggestions I realized the issue for the artist was not what $ amount they should charge but really “HOW DO I ASK PEOPLE FOR WHAT I AM WORTH”? She was afraid to attach a value to  something she created and even greater than that ask someone to pay money for it.

Is there an “art to asking”? Does it speak to your level of confidence? Why is it emotional?

A fellow artist offered that in a way he has to disassociate himself from his creation to look at it objectively. Then he can assign a price to his photographs.  He reconnects with his creation through the audience and customers who come to view and appreciate his work.

Amanda Palmer takes another approach. In her TED Talk, Amanda speaks about how her mindset shifted. She sees asking for “help” ($, support, items) as a way to connect to her audience…they feel like they are repaying her for how her music has inspired them. Click here to tune in. http://www.ted.com/talks/amanda_palmer_the_art_of_asking?language=en#t-801473