Feel Good Friday

Laughing girl with daisy in her hairs, showing thumbs up.

Working with a new client recently I was touched by the following.

They had paid me up front well in advance of the training, because those are my normal payment terms.

When I submitted my expenses invoice, the Director emailed it to accounts on the evening of the same day I had sent it to him, with an instruction to pay it.

To my surprise, the following morning, the lady in accounts emailed me to say the invoice had been paid.

Now that is being treated well, isn’t it?

In my view, it has nothing to do with the money, as we are only talking about a hundred and fifty odd quid.

I felt valued and it reinforced my already good feelings towards the client as the sort of people I enjoy doing business with.

For me, getting paid your true worth has never been just about money. It has always been equally about feeling good and overall well-being.

The two go hand in glove.

It is pretty obvious that if your clients pay you well, that helps to make you feel valued, but it’s not the whole picture is it?

It’s also about how they communicate with you and how they treat you in general.

When your clients value you, you want to serve them even better; it’s natural.

On the other hand, when you’re not feeling valued, it creates resentment and as I always say, that is a really unpleasant feeling which you then project onto the client.

This makes it impossible for you to do your best work for them. After all, you’re only human.

If your clients are not valuing you, then it probably means that you’re not valuing yourself and therefore attracting the wrong sort of clients.

So are your clients really valuing you?

If not, what do you need to do differently?

1)   Plan your Christmas tasks so you have plenty of time and stick to them. It reminds me of that old age: “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.”

2)   Have a budget for what you’re spending on gifts, food, etc. and stick to it. What’s the point of over-spending if it means you spending the next 3 months catching up?

3)   Programme in short bursts of “you time” so you can rest and recuperate. This is critical and, paradoxically, the busier you are, the more important it is for you to do this. When working with clients, I see the tendency to move from one task to another, like an automaton, and without giving themselves the time to think, acknowledge wins or rest.

4)   Keep a positive mental attitude. Not much more to say on this one, except that it will be easier to achieve if you apply points 1-3 and 5-8.

5)   Don’t take it all too seriously!

6)   When buying gifts, it’s not how much you spend, it’s how much thought goes   into them and how you feel when you buy them that counts. If you’re feeling stressed and buy something expensive in a rush, then the receiver is receiving your stress. On the other hand, if you buy gifts when you’re feeling relaxed and happy, then the recipients will receive that energy.

Which do you think they will prefer?

7)   When you notice the stress creeping in, stop, take a deep breath and feel grateful for everything and everyone in your life. This only takes a few minutes to do and yet the benefit can be proportionally much greater.

8)   If you have lost loved ones, it’s normal to feel sad that they’re no longer with you. I can personally relate to that one! Then you can flip it around and be grateful that they were a part of your life. Then focus on what you’re grateful for now. You may not always choose the circumstances in which you find yourself, however, you are always at liberty to choose what you think about them. Understanding and realising that is true power.

9)   If all else fails, just get drunk! 
When all the jobs are done, you can just relax and enjoy yourself. Then when you’re ready, reflect on the wins, challenges and insights that 2017 brought you and prepare for the coming year.
Thank you for reading and for your comments and I look forward to sharing more with you in 2018.
It only remains for me to wish you the happiest Christmas and a very prosperous 2018.

Vanessa Ugatti with purple and black dress on

I’m Vanessa Ugatti, author of Amazon Best Seller, “True Worth”. I help professional services firms to increase revenue ethically, without having to work harder, by sharing my ground-breaking TRUE WORTH step-by-step methodology. Systematic under-charging, discounting and over-servicing can be banished forever, as my unique formula can be immediately applied, leading to a wealthier firm and healthier and happier staff.

Ready to talk?

For an initial no-obligation chat, call 00-44-1202-743961
or email vanessa@thetrueworthexpert.com.