Do You Overvalue, or Undervalue Your Writing Services?

Basically, there are just two groups of commercial writers.

The first group overvalues what they do. The second group (by far the largest of the two) undervalues what they do.

The first group basically just need more information. They don’t understand their buyers, nor do they understand how to make their services truly valuable. Most writers in this group are just starting out. They need more experience in working with clients.

If you’re one of the big group of under-valuers however, let’s look a couple of tips which will help you to turn that around, and value what you do. This is essential if you want to build a great writing career.

1. Learn More About A Buyer, Before You Jump on a Gig

Firstly, don’t be too eager to accept a writing gig. If you see a writing job posted, take the time to research the buyer. Google the company. If the buyer looks promising, ask questions. Fire off an email message or two.

If a prospect approaches you, do the same thing. Google him. Ask questions.

The response (or lack of a response) to your messages tells you a lot. If you have doubts, forget about the gig. There’s an unlimited number of prospects. These days, if you’re not booked solid, you’re not making the most of what you have. Learning how to make the most of your skills starts with understanding buyers, and asking questions.

Concerned you’ll look dumb if you ask questions? Please get over that. Your aim with each project you accept is to build a relationship with that particular buyer. You want him to LOVE what you do, to spread your name around among his contacts, and to hire you at least several times a year. (If someone hires you once, he’ll hire you again.)

Believe it or not, every buyer wants to build a relationship with a reliable writer. Hiring writers is basically a pain, because you need to sort through a lot of dross to find a diamond. Every buyer wants a writer he knows on tap — no one wants to go through the tedious process of educating a writer on their business over and over again.

Therefore, since both you and your buyer want to build a relationship, your first aim is to learn more about him.

2. Get Clear in Your Own Mind About the Value You Provide

Every publication and most businesses need writers. Someone has to churn out all those words.

Once you begin to understand buyers, you’ll soon find that some buyers, while they value what you do, aim to get your services as cheaply as possible. They want to hire cheap, and they brag about it.

If they find a good, and cheap, reliable writer, they cling to that writer, until the writer gets more experience, and discovers that, for example, an email autoresponder sequence they wrote made the buyer $123,000 last year, while they were paid $250.

If you find yourself in a situation like this, when a buyer is making lots of money from your services, that’s great. Raise your rates. If he quibbles, that’s too bad. Whatever this buyer is doing to make money, there are many more like him, and his competition will be thrilled to hire you at the rates you want.

Understanding your own value comes from experience. The more projects you complete, the more you know. If someone is hiring you for project after project, you’re valuable. Understand that, and start to value yourself. That’s the first step in building a great writing career.

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