Your Work Is Not Expensive—Your Work is Misunderstood

You ever lose a gig & then panic, thinking your prices are too high? 😰

THIS HAPPENS ALL THE TIME.

How many times have you second-guessed yourself after that? How many times have you binge-ate squishy leftover pizza 🍕, straight out of the fridge at 6 o’clock in the morning, replaying their email in your mind? How many times have you thought: fuck me, I’m no good at this *waves hands* sales stuff.

If this is you, I have a useful perspective to share.

I mean, don’t get me wrong: you might be a delusional muppet and maybe your prices (and your hair) ARE too high. This may be the case if you are selling soy-scented hand soaps out of your attic and also happen to be on lorazepam. But, for the rest of us good creepy good folk who work for ourselves, many times it (really) isn’t you, and many times your prices (really) aren’t too high, and (many times) you (really) shouldn’t drop your prices.

Like, whatever you do, don’t drop your prices!

There is a better way to remedy this.

There is a simple, effective way to not only get the business, but get it AT your asking price, and get it without batting an eyelash 👁️, and get it while your competitors drop *their* pants prices, and—this is the fun part—have people clamoring to give you even more money.

Sounds like unicorn piss, I know.

But, I don’t believe in magic—I believe in math.

And if you work for yourself, you cannot afford to keep winging it, second-guessing yourself, or leaving money on the table just because someone made a face at your price. You need to know exactly how to make your price a no-brainer—so your dream clients stop balking and start paying.

This is what separates the pros from the ones burning through their savings, convincing themselves that “exposure” will pay the bills.

ALLOW ME TO SHOW YOU THE ASHLEY AMBIRGE TWO-STEP MONEY DANCE.

Also known as: HOW TO CHARGE PREMIUM RATES (AND ACTUALLY GET WHAT YOU ASK FOR).

This is the exact approach that makes selling effortless—while positioning you as the obvious, only choice.

If you work for yourself, you *need* to try this method.

Fun Game: How Much Do You Think It Costs?

Let’s play a fun little game. I promise I won’t splash mud on you.

Let’s say you’re the most fabulous person that ever lived. (Your sunglasses give you away, darling.)

And let’s say you own a house (with a hot pink door).

And let’s say you’re going to build a little garage to park your cars in, because god damn it’s snowy.

And let’s say you decide on a 40’ by 30’ two-car garage (40 foot by 30 foot) because that’s pretty average for a garage—plus, you want it to comfortably fit two cars, your kayak, and all of your dead bodies.

MHMMMKKKKAY? GRAND.

The first step in this project: you need to have a basic concrete floor poured. Nothing fancy, just some good ol’ concrete.

As a consumer, what’s the number that comes to mind, when you imagine what a concrete floor should / maybe / might??? approx. cost? ⬇️

Like, I know you probably have no idea, but just give your best guess.

I’m dying to know what you said but I can’t see it yet BECAUSE I AM STILL WRITING THIS, so please just know I’m over here with bated bad breath.

Before I reveal *the real number*, let’s talk about why I’m putting you through this torture.

Unless I happen to have hit the jackpot, I am *guessing* that I don’t have many people who pour concrete as readers. 👷 Which means that most of us…don’t pour concrete. 🤣 I mean, have you ever even SEEN concrete being poured?????? Do you even know what’s in that shit? My point exactly.

You probably have no idea how the process works.

You probably have no clue what kinds of tools you need.

You probably have no idea how the concrete even gets there??????? Is it in bags? In a truck? In a helicopter?

You probably have no idea how long it takes to set up. Or get a smooth finish. Or grade the area. Or install rebar. Or metal wire. Or prevent cracking by putting in relief cuts.

And—all that said, you probably have no idea how much it actually costs to pour. Am I right?????????

That’s because we are all what we refer to in the biz as “the uneducated consumer.” Gosh, I hate to call us that. We’re educated, we are! But, ahem, not when it comes to concrete.

You’re like, yeah Ash, no crap, that’s why I hired someone to come and do it for me.

But, this is exactly my point.

You Can’t Just Slap a Price Tag on Stuff and Call it Good

Because you are an ‘uneducated consumer’ when it comes to concrete, this means something very, very bad:

You have no reference point.

You don’t know enough about what’s involved.

You’ve never seen concrete being advertised on TV, or on the radio, or even on the internet.

You don’t know anyone who works with it.

And that means something very, very bad (at least, for the concrete person): because you have no idea what something actually costs, you operate on assumptions only. And, so in your head, you go: well, how much can it really be? It’s probably only a couple thousand bucks or so, if that. I mean, it’s just some concrete. A slab. A starting point. It doesn’t even include the cost of building the garage.

So, what do you do?

You call the concrete person.

You ham it up on the phone. Tell ‘em what you’re thinking. Say awkward things like “I just need something sturdy enough to outlive my student loan debt.” Set a date for them to come out and look at the project.

Then, they come out.

They bring measuring tapes.

They bring levels.

They listen carefully.

They stay for a good hour, while you go on and on about your big dreams and plans

Then, they go home and they spend another hour working up an estimate.

Then, they type it all up in their fancy quote software.

Then, they send it.

And then???

You fall over.

Because, the actual market rate for a garage that size—well, I’ll tell you soon. ;) But, it’s not what you expected. For a concrete slab that just sits there?!?! How could it cost this much??????? There’s no way it costs this much. They’re taking me for a ride.

So you politely send a text back that says, “Thanks for the estimate! I appreciate you coming out. Unfortunately I just had another big expense pop up, so I don’t have it in the budget for this year.”

Cue: the concrete person feeling deflated, because there it goes, it happened again. They spent all this time going out and seeing the project and really caring about people and talking to you for forever and then going home and working up the estimate—which in total took 3 hours, including drive time—only to be disappointed. Again.

Can you relate?

Have you ever gone through this same process with a client, where they inquire with you, and you get all excited, and you agree to chat over the phone, and you stay up late researching their business, and then you spend an hour figuring out your talking points, and then your palms are all sweaty, and then you get on the phone, and then they tell you what they need, and then an hour goes by, and then you hang up and settle in to write up a proposal, which takes another two hours, and the you send it! This is it! Hooray!!!!

…and then they client says it’s not in their budget.

Ouchie.

Let’s fix this.

How to Make Sure It’s ALWAYS in Their Budget

If you think about the concrete scenario, the concrete is NOT too expensive.

The concrete costs what the concrete costs. It’s based on yardage which calculates volume, too, and it’s based on what the concrete company charges per yard, and then specialists who pour it add their standard rate per yard.

And, because you’re also driving on the concrete, it needs to be a minimum of 6” thick to support the weight, opposed to a standard 4” for something like a sidewalk.

Average cost? $500 per yard, all said and done.

And therefore, the cost for a 40’ x 30’ garage slab?????

Is not $2,000.
It’s not $4,000.
It’s not $7,000.
It’s not 11,000.

It’s $15,000.

Which sounds like SO MUCH MONEY!

The average person hears that and they immediately get sticker shock, because most people assume a simple concrete floor would just be, like, a few thousand dollars. (Unless you are a little shit who guessed the poll because you already know we’re talking about charging premium prices, ha!)

But, here’s the thing:

The concrete does not cost too much—the concrete is a pretty standard rate.

The person who’s buying the concrete doesn’t know enough.

No frame of reference almost always means an assumption that something costs way less than it actually does, because there’s no insight into the actual process that goes into it all.

What does this mean?

This means that it’s very likely that the same thing is happening to you.

• Photographers: Clients don’t see all the work photographers actually put in. All they see is a photo that just looks good. Looks simple, we all take photos these days, right? Totally discounts your actual skill, not because you aren’t skilled, but because consumers don’t really know the amount of skill that goes into it.
• Videographers: Clients assume you just push a button on a fancy camera and BOOM, magic. They don’t see the hours spent on lighting, audio, editing, color grading, and post-production wizardry. To them, it’s just “a video.”
• Designers: People think you just drag and drop a few elements in Canva, completely disregarding the years of experience, knowledge of composition, typography, branding strategy, and psychological nuances that go into every single pixel.
• Writers: Everyone thinks they can write. Everyone also thinks writing is easy. Nobody sees the hours of research, the painstaking editing, the mastery of tone, voice, and structure that turns a jumble of words into something persuasive, compelling, and (god forbid) enjoyable to read.
• Coaches & Consultants: Clients think they’re paying you for an hour of your time. No, my dear, they are paying for your ten years of experience solving the exact problem they are struggling with. They don’t see the books you’ve read, the frameworks you’ve developed, the thousands of people you’ve worked with to refine your process. They think they’re just paying for “a chat.”

The solution?

You have to educate them before they ever see your price.

You have to set expectations before you ever send a proposal.

You have to walk them through the process before they get sticker shock.

You have to create a frame of reference before they make their own (wrong) assumptions.

(That’s why the best salespeople don’t start with numbers—they start with why the numbers are what they are.)

Here’s how you do it:

• Create bomb-ass educational content on your website. Blog posts aren’t just there because they look cute: they should be workhorsing for you! This is where you should demonstrate that you know your shit (and take extra care to talk through scenarios that really shine a light on your expertise, making the person think: omg, I need them, I would never know how to do that). Note: case studies are awesome for this, so long as you actually walk through what the problems were, and how you approached using your BIG, GIANT, DELICIOUS BRAIN.
• Make pricing guides. Not just a number, but an explanation of what goes into the cost, why it’s worth it, and what they’ll get for their investment. My preferred approach is by offering up a few common scenarios A, B, and C, and what things would affect the price, and what the minimum “starting at” price might be, as a result. This way, if they are calling you, there’s a good chance they’ve already SEEN this—and that means they’re actually qualified. (And not too skurrred of the pricetag.)
• Send pre-qualification materials *before* you get on the phone. A simple PDF or video that outlines your process, pricing philosophy, and value—so they don’t get sticker shock later. After, I might say something like, “If you’re comfortable with the process, let’s schedule a call!” This way, if they’re not comfortable with “the process,” which also includes the fucking pricing, then they can easily save face and back out before everyone goes through the trouble. :)
• Show before-and-after transformations. Whether it’s a design project, a coaching client, or a concrete slab, demonstrate the difference your work makes. We all love a good before/after! Remember: the “after” is what they’re buying. Not a “session.” (Or whatever.)
• Use social proof and testimonials. Let past clients explain why your work was worth every penny. Worth its weight in…omg…gold?! I had to. (Note: I’ve got a post coming out about how to do this right. These will literally sell your work for you.)
• Give comparisons. Show them the difference between bargain-bin solutions and premium services. Educate them on why cutting corners costs more in the long run. (Without sounding like a smarmy toad.)

Your work is not expensive.

Your work is misunderstood.

And the key to charging premium rates—and actually getting what you ask for—is to stop assuming people know what goes into your work.

They don’t.

You have to show them.

And once you do?

They’ll not only pay your rate—they’ll thank you for the privilege.