Selling Your Soul For Money
Image from Nick Ares
Money, marketing, beliefs and transformation. That’s a recipe to stir someone up.
You see, I was reading a recent post by Jonathan Fields who was promoting the marketing around a new live event from Danielle LaPorte and Marie Forleo in New York called Selling Your Soul.
The video Jonathan did was outstanding. I recommend you check it out from a marketing standpoint.
However this post is around a mindset of someone who commented on his post. I felt compelled to address it because there are many people who suffer from the same thought process. When I say suffer, it’s because they are the very same people saying they want success and to serve people in their highest good but remain in a place where they can’t…and they project their own challenges on the very same people who could support them.
I feel this mindset keeps people from being able to experience breakthroughs in business and in life. So I said what the hell, and decided to write about it.
If you want to read the comments in order to get where this post came from, read the comments section of his post.
I’ll admit I got triggered by her comment.
Why?
Because I used to think like this.
- I used to count other peoples money because I felt it wasn’t fair that I didn’t have any and they did.
- That they seemed to get all the breaks or were lucky.
- That rich people took advantage of poor people and that’s why they’re rich
- That if they had it they should give more of it freely to those who don’t.
“Giving to those who are quite capable renders them incapable of becoming their best.”-true
Basically below was my response to her comment with a bit more added for clarity in this post.
Selling Transformation Vs Time and Money
The old story of the farmer and the dentist is true here:
- The farmer ask the dentist to pull his bad tooth.
- The dentist says “That’ll be $600.”
- The farmer says, “Well how long will it take?“
- Dentist says, “about 15 seconds.“
- The farmer says, “that’s a lot of money for 30 seconds!“
- The dentist ponders for a moment and says, “I can take longer if you like?“
There is a huge myth that as coaches or trainers that we need to provide days, months or even years of “our time and effort” in order for someone to experience a transformation and to get a specific result. Or that we need to provide big binders of stuff, 30 CD’s of information and trade lots of time for the payoff.
It’s just not true in many cases.
If you can get a result you’re looking for in a fraction of the time but for a higher price, why on earth would you stick the old paradigm that a higher price means it needs to take longer and requires more stuff?
Personally the more I think about it, the less I feel I’m serving clients but charging lower prices. How committed are they to the outcome for say $297 as apposed to $2997?
How much hands on time do you think I can invest at $297 as apposed to $2997?
Get the point?
You’re Not Selling Your Soul For Money
You’re Selling A Transformation That’s In The Customers Highest Good
In my opinion the $1000 (the cost of the Sell Your Soul event) represents our level of commitment to our desired outcome in our business, whether it’s their program or another one. You’re not paying for the time it’s delivered, you’re paying for a result or a transformation in this case.
Chances are your commitment to that result goes through the roof when you’ve put something on the line like a large amount of money for someone who is quite capable of delivering the information.
Look at the money as an investment in yourself and a commitment to your result more than the time that’s taken to deliver it.
Chances are (and this is from my own personal experience) people don’t appreciate nor do they extract value from that which they didn’t have to work for or pay a high price for. (and yes price could be relative)
Why?
Because they didn’t make any kind of true investment. They didn’t put anything on the line in fair exchange.
They’re stuck in “good enough” land. “Life is good enough and isn’t painful enough so I’ll do things in a comfortable manner.” Hence they never rise up to challenge the next level required to break through.
Perhaps better questions are necessary to ask and a new perspective is required, in order to get different results.
Our time is valuable.
How much you charge for that time will directly reflect on the level (and quality) of the experience you can provide to them as well as at what level your customers will receive it.
Selling Your Soul For Money Is Just A Belief
I also choose to believe there is something bigger at play here than just money.
I’m selling the idea of investing in yourself and making a commitment to your outcome. The amount of money you invest represents that commitment and the level of skill the coach provides.
Questioning “why they are charging so much” and “how much will they make for an event” (In such a snarky manner) only shines a light on ones own belief around money and how they see themselves in the world.
The young lady quoted isn’t questioning Danielle or Marie and how much they are making. She’s really questioning herself and her own worthiness to be able to charge that much for her own services.
Or another way of saying it, “It’s not them, it’s me.”
Yeah I said it.
“What we see most in the world we see most in ourselves.”
Or also said:
“The judgements we make of others is simply a projection of how we see ourselves.“
Which is why I’m so comfortable bringing this to light because I have seen myself do this very same thing and act out in the very same way.
By the way, I’m not saying that just because a program costs a lot that it’s always beneficial.
I just know Danielle LaPorte knows her shit.
I bought her Fire Starter Sessions eBook (affiliate link) for $150 (yes an ebook for $150) and I can tell you it’s worth every penny. If you’re a creative solopreneur and trying to get your act together, it helps. It included worksheets and videos along with the ebook itself that to this day I still review.
But you know what? I paid a shit load of money for it and I value it the information in it.
She has a record of providing huge value, not selling her soul for money. She gives a shit.
Next Step
So what do you think of high end coaching programs/high ticket events and their value behind helping you create transformation?
Would you see an investment of $1000 to $8000 as a crime on behalf of the person providing the coaching or see it as a high leveraged investment in your self and your desired outcome?
I know I’m leaving this pretty open ended but I’m really curious of your feedback.
If you’re a coach, do you feel you’re serving your clients with higher quality coaching and by holding clients more accountable with higher prices or do you feel you’re selling your soul for money if you do?