I don't negotiate my value down

A few months ago I got off a call with a potential client.

Great conversation. Real energy.

At the end they asked what I charge and I told them.

Dead silence.

Then:

"That's a bit more than we were expecting."

I didn't flinch.

I didn't apologize.

I didn't start doing the math out loud to justify myself.

I just said I understand, and let's see what we can do.

That's the difference between knowing your value and being inflexible.

I'm always willing to have a conversation.

But I know exactly where the conversation ends.

Flexibility Has a Limit

Most people confuse flexibility with not having a bottom line.

They're not the same thing.

Being flexible means you're willing to work with someone to find a number that makes sense for both sides.

Not having a bottom line means you'll keep moving until they're happy, regardless of what that does to you.

One is strategy.

The other is fear dressed up as generosity.

I've been in plenty of conversations where the gap between what someone expected to pay and what I charge was significant.

Sometimes we find a way to make it work.

Sometimes we don't.

The key is I already know before the call which outcome I'm okay with, and which one I'm not.

That's not something I figure out in the moment under pressure.

I've already done that work.

Knowing Your Value Isn't About Being Rigid

Knowing your value isn't about being rigid.

It's about being clear.

Clear on what you bring.

Clear on what you need in return.

Clear on the line you won't cross no matter how much you want the deal or need the win or like the person on the other end of the call.

When you don't have that clarity, you feel it.

You leave conversations second-guessing yourself.

You take things you shouldn't have.

You say yes and immediately feel it was wrong.

When you do have it, the whole dynamic changes.

You can be warm, collaborative, genuinely open to finding a solution, and still walk away if the solution doesn't exist.

Those two things can coexist.

The Right People Respect the Line

The people who are right for you will respect the line even if they push on it.

The ones who can't accept that you have one at all are telling you something important about what it would be like to work with them.

Know your value.

Know your bottom line.

Give yourself permission to hold it.

Aaron