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The three-step close
How to ask for and get the money. Or how I learned to dance with the fear in my lizard brain.
Whenever someone I know, who runs a small creative firm, or is a writer or designer, tells me they struggle with asking for and getting the fees they need I always recommend the three-step close.
I know about this struggle and the anxiety that goes with asking for the money. Why? Because I’ve always struggled with it myself. I still struggle, even though I have successfully asked for hundreds of thousands and even millions and gotten the money. But the feelings of anxiety and even outright fear are still with me.
Along the way, I’ve discovered that the amount doesn’t matter. Asking for a few hundred can be just as anxiety-producing as asking for thousands, or hundreds of thousands, for that matter.
That anxiety is what led me to create my three-step close.
Why the angst?
The reason for the fear is simple. You’re not in control. You could be challenged. You could be told that you’re not worth it, or that you don’t have the chops, or you’re not qualified. Or as my father used to say, “you’re stupid!” So how could you possibly be worth anything let alone what you’re asking for?
My father’s voice confirming that I’m not worth it is always dancing with my lizard brain…
