Increase Your Value by Saying No

October 5, 2012 Posted by The BVB Team

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You are the only one who can determine your value.

• Let go of work you don’t love, and make more money (by having more time).
• Establish your value by saying no to clients that are high-maintenance (and make space for the DREAM clients to come in).
• Create more powerful alliances and conversations by knowing your worth and sticking to it (unwaveringly).

This week’s Big Vision expert, Scott Coady, increased his client base and gave himself a major raise by saying no to one high-level client… Here’s how you can also raise the bar on your self-worth in business…

BVB: What’s working for you Scott?

Scott: I’m having a record year in my business. I am having a lot of increased opportunity…

And you know what?

What’s working for me is saying no.

BVB: Saying no?

Scott: Last year, I fired a client.

The client was a significant client. I work with CEOs and Senior Executives, in either entrepreneurial organizations or corporations to create authentic and true high-performance teams which enables them to produce results that they didn’t think were possible.

Firing a client is a scary thing, but having the courage to say no or to stop when the client isn’t able to see or recognize your value is a communication to the universe, and to yourself.

I heard a teaching one time that said “Your identity, and therefore your value in the world is more strongly formed by what you say no to than what you say yes to.”

And I believe that.

BVB: What are some specific results you have seen in your business from saying no when it feels undervaluing to say yes?

Scott: I said no to a client, I said no to a relationship.

As a result, I have never been busier, and I have also been able to significantly raise my prices.

When I said no to him, I said no to that level of client. With this increased rate, and the increase in clientele, I made up for the lost revenue from that client by 5 times already.

BVB: These results speak for themselves… Some people may object to this though, thinking “Oh, the economy’s not doing well, let’s take as many clients as we can…” How do you speak to that?

Scott: Saying no when appropriate is powerful in any economy, for a couple of reasons. It demonstrates that you trust yourself. If you are able to do it with confidence, you will gain the courage to become part of more powerful conversations.

A lot of people think their value is determined by how much they are worth per day, or even per hour. They say “I’m worth this much.” And when they aren’t getting that, they feel either ripped off or not successful.

But I believe that you are only as valuable as what you are willing say no to. You are only worth $300 an hour if you are willing to say no to $299.

Right?

If you say yes to $250, or $100, then you are determining that as your worth.

BVB: This may be new to some people. What are some steps for them to try this out?

Scott: Never discount your services. Ever. Give it away, or charge a lot for it.

On one hand, be generous, be giving. But NEVER DISCOUNT.

Okay?

BVB: Okay…

Scott: Take a look at everything that’s occupying your time that is generating revenue, and stop doing low value, uninteresting, unfulfilling, unrewarding work.

The bottom 10-20% that’s unrewarding and low pay, stop doing that! This will make room for the new, higher paying, higher-tiered, more valuable work.

This is a step, but it’s really a commitment to yourself and the world stating how you value YOU.

Also… DON’T do it alone.

Build a team.

Make sure your purpose, your reason, your offer is noble. And not just about making money. Have a purpose that is of service to others, and then because of that you are going to be able to build a powerful team.

The team supports you in fulfilling that vision, and it’s always better than working alone.

BVB: Scott, what did you have to overcome personally in order to get to a place where you could say no, and to determine your own value in this way?

Scott: I had to get over the deep programming to want to be liked.

Wanting to be liked, wanting to be thought well of, is largely driven by ego. Part of maturing is being committed to things and results that aren’t about you.

Be willing to risk relationships for what you are committed to, that’s what I had to do. And that’s not about me, it’s about something bigger.

BVB: Well Scott, this might rock the boat for some people, but we sure LOVED IT! Thanks so much…

 Tribe, do you see the value in “just saying no?”

Let us know your thoughts below… we will respond!