I'm new

[justche]

Hi there,
I'm Cheryl, I live in Oregon. I'm a single mom with a 9 month daughter. I'm building an HR consulting 'company' , we also do virtual assistance. Right now I'm a one woman show, but there's 3 others that would like to be involved, and we're hammering out the details. I'm also looking at federal and state contracts, but so far that seems to be a maze I can't quite figure out.

I'm not very good at selling my own product. Especially in the area I live where people look at our prices and think "too much" So I'd love some input from other people on how you get past the sticker shock? And any tips on how you manage being the worker bee, the seller, the prospector, the networker, the IT, the receptionist, and have this child you love to sit and play with all at the same time?

Look forward to hearing from you!

Cheryl

[Lori]

Hello Cheryl,

It's great to have you with us. I have the same issue with you on selling my services. I have been slowly raising my rates over the past couple of years and know that I still really under charge.

The truth is... I DO have my kids in and out of my office all day - on and off my lap - so my pricing reflects it. I don't feel justified to charge top rate when I know the client is getting my complete attention.

As of next week my husband is ending his corporate career and beginning to work by my side here. I'm really looking forward to having a partner at work AND at home to help things move along smoothly.

Do you have a website yet?

Lori

Hi there,
I'm Cheryl, I live in Oregon. I'm a single mom with a 9 month daughter. I'm building an HR consulting 'company' , we also do virtual assistance. Right now I'm a one woman show, but there's 3 others that would like to be involved, and we're hammering out the details. I'm also looking at federal and state contracts, but so far that seems to be a maze I can't quite figure out.

I'm not very good at selling my own product. Especially in the area I live where people look at our prices and think "too much" So I'd love some input from other people on how you get past the sticker shock? And any tips on how you manage being the worker bee, the seller, the prospector, the networker, the IT, the receptionist, and have this child you love to sit and play with all at the same time?

Look forward to hearing from you!

Cheryl

[justche]

I do have a website (can I plug it?? :) ) www.totalresourceconnection.com

I've got some regular work coming in, and a potential partnership with another service in town, that I'm supposed to come up with some cross promotion ideas for them.

I'm certainly not charging top dollar, but I'm not lowballing either, that's another thing that's a bit hard. I feel like if I really have to explain why I'm a value to someone that's balking about prices, they aren't my target customer. But since there's not an abundant amount of work, I wonder if I'm shooting myself in the foot??

Cheryl

Hello Cheryl,

It's great to have you with us. I have the same issue with you on selling my services. I have been slowly raising my rates over the past couple of years and know that I still really under charge.

The truth is... I DO have my kids in and out of my office all day - on and off my lap - so my pricing reflects it. I don't feel justified to charge top rate when I know the client is getting my complete attention.

As of next week my husband is ending his corporate career and beginning to work by my side here. I'm really looking forward to having a partner at work AND at home to help things move along smoothly.

Do you have a website yet?

Lori

Hi there,
I'm Cheryl, I live in Oregon. I'm a single mom with a 9 month daughter. I'm building an HR consulting 'company' , we also do virtual assistance. Right now I'm a one woman show, but there's 3 others that would like to be involved, and we're hammering out the details. I'm also looking at federal and state contracts, but so far that seems to be a maze I can't quite figure out.

I'm not very good at selling my own product. Especially in the area I live where people look at our prices and think "too much" So I'd love some input from other people on how you get past the sticker shock? And any tips on how you manage being the worker bee, the seller, the prospector, the networker, the IT, the receptionist, and have this child you love to sit and play with all at the same time?

Look forward to hearing from you!

Cheryl

[Lori]

Hi Cheryl,

In my opinion you are approaching your pricing perfectly. Especially because you are just starting out. You can slowly raise your rates with each new client.

The problem with shooting too low with your price is that those clients can potentially take up most of your time, leaving you incapable of earning more. And those aren't clients who will readily agree when you raise your rates so it doesn't make sense to devote too much energy to them.

As for plugging your site - please do! Why don't you add it to your signature by modifying your profile? The more times your url is picked up by search engine spiders the better for your search engine results, especially with google.

Another trick to making those links count more is to not just write your name but rather have your keywords in the link. So if you offer bookkeeping and admin services your link would look like this: Bookkeeping and Administrative Services for your small business (http://www.totalresourceconnection.com)

That will increase your Page Rank (PR) for those keywords.

Come to think of it, I really outta modify my own signature! LOL.

Best wishes,

Lori


I do have a website (can I plug it?? :) ) www.totalresourceconnection.com

I've got some regular work coming in, and a potential partnership with another service in town, that I'm supposed to come up with some cross promotion ideas for them.

I'm certainly not charging top dollar, but I'm not lowballing either, that's another thing that's a bit hard. I feel like if I really have to explain why I'm a value to someone that's balking about prices, they aren't my target customer. But since there's not an abundant amount of work, I wonder if I'm shooting myself in the foot??

Cheryl

[Ravish30]

Hi Cheryl,

Welcome to the message boards, nice to meet you!

My name is Shelly and I am in Central PA.

Shelly

[Debbi]

Welcome Cheryl,

Where are you located in Oregon? I used to live just outside of Portland, and now I'm in E. Washington. We're almost neighbors! :D

Congratulations on your business. Working from home is a wonderful career choice, believe me. I love it. I've been doing it for almost 4 years now (I can't even believe that sometimes), and it's wonderful.

I think you hit on a key part of the virtual business: if you have to explain to a potential client why a virtual worker is a better deal, they really are not your target market. In my personal experience, and in working with an outsourcing company, I have found that if they're not ready for virtual, they're just plain not ready for virtual. The best marketing materials and smooze on the planet will not change their minds...at least that is my experience.

What to charge is a tough issue, too. I try to be flexible, and see what the client is willing to pay. On the other hand, Lori had a really good point in that the clients who want to charge you the lowest can turn into the biggest part of your time committment. Usually, I look at my work load and if I have just three or four current clients, I'm more open to taking a lower rate. Plus, I have found that clients who are open to virtual typically want to save money, and they don't want to pay $20-$30/hour for someone to do their admin or customer support. It's not cost effective for them. As a business, I try to be flexible. Plus, I look at what type of work I will be doing. If it's easy and fun, I am open to taking less, because yes, it's a business, but it's nice to have fun, too.

I looked at your website, and as both a designer and a business person, I have one suggestion. Get your phone number on your home page, and preferrably on every page. Make it BIG. Don't make people look for the contact us page, because they might not look. :wink:

Just some friendly advice from a fellow mom.

Have a great time at Freelancemom, I think you'll like it here!

Debbi

I do have a website (can I plug it?? :) ) www.totalresourceconnection.com

I've got some regular work coming in, and a potential partnership with another service in town, that I'm supposed to come up with some cross promotion ideas for them.

I'm certainly not charging top dollar, but I'm not lowballing either, that's another thing that's a bit hard. I feel like if I really have to explain why I'm a value to someone that's balking about prices, they aren't my target customer. But since there's not an abundant amount of work, I wonder if I'm shooting myself in the foot??

Cheryl

Hello Cheryl,

It's great to have you with us. I have the same issue with you on selling my services. I have been slowly raising my rates over the past couple of years and know that I still really under charge.

The truth is... I DO have my kids in and out of my office all day - on and off my lap - so my pricing reflects it. I don't feel justified to charge top rate when I know the client is getting my complete attention.

As of next week my husband is ending his corporate career and beginning to work by my side here. I'm really looking forward to having a partner at work AND at home to help things move along smoothly.

Do you have a website yet?

Lori

Hi there,
I'm Cheryl, I live in Oregon. I'm a single mom with a 9 month daughter. I'm building an HR consulting 'company' , we also do virtual assistance. Right now I'm a one woman show, but there's 3 others that would like to be involved, and we're hammering out the details. I'm also looking at federal and state contracts, but so far that seems to be a maze I can't quite figure out.

I'm not very good at selling my own product. Especially in the area I live where people look at our prices and think "too much" So I'd love some input from other people on how you get past the sticker shock? And any tips on how you manage being the worker bee, the seller, the prospector, the networker, the IT, the receptionist, and have this child you love to sit and play with all at the same time?

Look forward to hearing from you!

Cheryl

[Anonymous]

Welcome to the Group Cheryl. I am also pretty new here. It seems like a good group that I am sure you will enjoy. I also agree with the other comments here about pricing. When I first started, I had no experience in business, and I was afraid to put my prices too high. I still feel that I don't want to overcharge, but I have found when raising my prices that my sales went up a bit, instead of down.

Sara Tamburrino
Sara's Shop - Handcrafted Amish Baskets & Gifts
http://www.SarasShop.com