How I Boosted My Confidence In 5 Minutes And Made Over $5000
Written by Dave Navarro on February 17, 2008
As I’m pushing through the Christine O’Kelly Freelancing Showdown, I’m kicking myself for not taking advantage of ways to make money that I could have been using for the last 12 months. (Damn you, page 3!). But no more. I realize now that I’ve fallen under the seductive magic of the “Scary A-Lister Syndrome.”
If you’ve never heard of this malady, it boils down to this - you don’t consider yourself expert in an area because there are so many people more experty than you are. This usually happens because you dabble in a skill that other people devote their full attention to. So on a scale of 1 to 10 those “A-listers” are 10s in their field while you clock in at about a 5.
And because the gap between 5 to 10 is indescribably gigantic, it’s easy to feel like there’s no reason for you to market your services as a 5. After all, why would someone pay for a freaking 5 when they can get a 10? Well, as Naomi Dunford so eloquently pointed out, there’s a huge-a$$ market in the 0 to 4 range.
Excellence is highly overrated. The vast majority of clients do not want excellent or amazing or The Best Ever or Jesus Himself Couldn’t Have Written It This Good. They can’t afford Jesus. They can afford Better Than They Could Do Themselves. This means they can afford you.
Well said. And that’s the foundation of building the kind of confidence that bring home the bacon.
Now On To How I Boosted My Confidence (And How You’re Going To Do It Too)
A few years back I decided to take the plunge and become a business coach, helping people get organized, focused, and motivated to kick some serious a$$. I had the background, I had the experience, but I was missing one thing: the clients. I’d spent my life being the go-to guy for fixing people’s problems fast, but I’d never done it for money. So how did I go about getting clients when I didn’t have any “case studies” or testimonials to speak for me?
The answer is simple. I didn’t. I frigging choked. For two months I did nothing.
Well, not exactly nothing. I was very active on some of the bigger self-improvement forums out there, answering people’s questions, helping them out … but never asking for the sale. I was terrified, which wasn’t my usual demeanor. You see the problem is, I had looked at my competition’s rates and seen that they started at $600 a month and shot straight up to the five-figure-a-month range. All I could think about was “Why would somebody be willing to pay me $600 a month when I don’t have any past clients to use as references?”
On top of that, the competition had a few other “advantages” over me.
- The high-priced coaches were part of the Big Fancy Coaching Associations and had Big Fancy Coaching Certifications. I had nothing.
- The high-priced coaches were graduates of impressive sounding schools with impressive sounding majors. I ditched college after 3 semesters (I didn’t flunk out, I just jumped on the dot-com boom when it was happening and don’t regret it a damned bit).
- The high-priced coaches had pages and pages of customer references. I didn’t.
Finally I got the guts to put up a pricing page and offered my services for … here it comes … $99 a month. I figured “I’ll just do this ’till I get my feet wet and get a stream of customers.” And the money just rolled in. And by “rolled in,” I mean I had two customers. TWO. One pre-paid for a year (which was nice until I did the per-hour math!), the other just for a few months. It was depressing. And by “depressing,” I mean totally frigging depressing.
But Then Warren Buffet Kicked Me Between The Eyes
A few months into making almost no money whatsoever I picked up a copy of Fast Company and read an article about Warren Buffet that changed everything. I read perhaps the greatest quote ever about the irrelevance of buying stocks based on price alone. Old W.B. said:
“Price is what you pay. Value is what you get.”
Truer words have never been spoken. And finally, I had the “A-Ha Moment” that changed my confidence level forever. Instead of freaking out over what everyone else was charging and how super-damn-special they were, I thought to myself: What the hell is it that I do for people, and how much is it worth? And I began to think things like this:
- I’m good at taking people who are stuck in their business, and I help them find creative ways to get going again.
- I’m good at showing people ways to monetize their business that they hadn’t thought of yet.
- I’m good at showing people how to get a hell of a lot more done every day.
- I’m good at showing people how to kick procrastination’s ass and get focused.
- I’m good at getting people to believe in themselves and create a step-by-step plan to get what they want.
And the more I thought about it, the more I realized that those things were easily worth $600 a month - even without any Formal and Official Big Important Credentials. Hell, when I thought about it, I realized that I was damned good at talking people into overcoming fear and depression and doing what they needed to do to reach their goals. I thought about how people always came to me for answers, and I could almost always give them something they needed to take the very next step with confidence.
I even reflected upon two incredible times in my life when I was in the unique position to talk someone out of suicide - not because I’m some magically special person, but because I simply helped them reframe their focus so that they would feel good about taking constructive action instead of giving up.
Then I realized my “USP”: I was good at helping people figure out what the next step was, and how they could approach it. I didn’t have to worry about competing with established coaches at all. I just needed to present myself as someone who could help you get unstuck and moving forward.
The Next 30 Days: Hollywood Ending Included
After that revelation I said “Screw it, I’m raising my rates.” I raised them to about $500 a month and started putting the word out that if you were an entrepreneur who needed to get unstuck and moving forward, I could help you get going. With the confidence I had in my ability to do that, I was able to fill my coaching dance card to the tune of over $5000 in the next 30 days. I couldn’t believe it, because I’d never pulled in that much in my life, not by a longshot. But it made sense once I figured it out. And it will make sense to you when you do it as well.
Feel Confident: There’s Always A Market For Your Skill Level
Wherever you are, there are people who need your skill level. Focus on what you can deliver - not what other people are delivering - and your confidence will shine through. And your confidence is what people pay for - an implicit trust that you can deliver what you say you can. Like animals can smell fear, your potential clients can smell confidence. So put all your focus on what it is you do well and your confidence will shoot through the roof. And it will be authentic confidence that you can be proud of, without feeling like you’re being arrogant.
Moral O’ The Story: Take Your Eyes Off The People “Out Of Your League”
It’s always a good idea to ignore the A-List and other people more “established” than you as far as it hampers your ability to move forward (however, if someone from the A-List offers to help you to move forward, take advantage of it). Don’t let the the fact that other people have more experience / clients / whatever than you prevent you from getting more experience / clients / whatever for yourself, and on your terms.
Take a realistic assessment of yourself and charge accordingly. If you want to charge more, either boost your skill level or, better yet, learn to present and position yourself in better ways than you’re doing now. But whatever you do, don’t stall. Tap into the market that is currently available to you. If you’re a 5 and struggling, don’t stress yourself out trying to compete with the 10’s. Look for that 0 to 4 market and work the hell out of it.
I am. Starting with my foray into the world of freelance writing. For the first time I’m posting my rates (which I’m sure I’ll increase as I mull over the value proposition). Feel free to contact me for work. 
Now It’s Your Turn: What’s Your Big Value?
Take a moment and think about the value you present to clients. Crystallize it and put it in the comments below, and let everyone know what you have to be confident about! (Then subscribe to this blog if you’ve liked what you’ve read so far.)
You know what to do,
Dave
I have a theory. The only people who really understand the letters after your name or the associations to which you belong are your colleagues. Since they are your colleagues, they don’t need you because they are you.
There are certain exceptions. I’m in marketing but I went to Michael Martine for help — I couldn’t maintain any kind of objectivity with my own blog. But in general, people want to know if you have what they need.
I once thought of hiring a life coach, and the first person I thought of was Martha Beck, who writes for Oprah. Why? I’ve read all her columns and several of her books, the vast majority of which are not life coaching related. She talks about leaving the Mormon church. About knowing her unborn baby had Downs’ syndrome. I don’t know if she has her Masters in whatever it is you’re supposed to have your Masters in. All I know is that she sounds awesome and I’ll gladly pay whatever she charges to have some of her time.
That’s a good theory. The longer I live, the more I discover how little people want credentials and how much they want solutions.
Some exceptions, though. If I need brain surgery, the guy with the knife better have a wall chock full of framed papers that mean something.
I think I’ve written this at least 20 times about Naomi in various comment boxes around the web…. but I love this chick! This quote is definitely going to be recycled again somewhere in something I write.
Dave - It’s 3:38 am - I’m up early (as you’re coaching program advised) to devise a plan to put you on notice! I’m writing to you just hours after you posted this and I think I may have a gig for you - and possibly more. I’m going to be pitching your blog posting to a client as part of a packaged service.
And - Your USP is exactly what I need right now: “I was good at helping people figure out what the next step was, and how they could approach it.” If time were limitless, I would know exactly what my next steps would be - but if I don’t figure out a next step I’m going to run out of hours in which to get up earlier! Like Naomi said about Michael, I’m having trouble being objective about my own time management issues.
Plus, it’s nice to know that if I do every become suicidal that you can talk me out of that too.
Ok - I’m off to go call you out Navarro….
.
Christine -
Bring the gigs on.
I’d be more than happy to have a few more $5000+ months (though I know writing and coaching are two different price models).
Check your email and let’s figure out a time we can get on the phone to do a quick “next step” coaching call.
Dave, thanks for this post. On point.
I like proofreading and in the back of my mind, I’ve thought that if I have no solid proof like a certificate or years of experience behind me, then how will people take me seriously enough to take me on?
But the fact of the matter is I notice what I notice and no certificate showed me that.
Now, the ‘value’ I present. Ermmm…. I know what it is… I think … but I can’t put it into words.
@ebele -
You sure do notice. Thanks for catching that MAJOR typo in my header.
You’re in an ideal spot to use your clients as references. Be sure to get some kind words from Christine, and do the same for each customer you have.
One other thing to consider, since you’ve read Christine’s eBook - perhaps you might get more mileage providing proofreading as part of a bundled service. Just a thought.
Dave -
Great post man. Loved it and hit close to home for me.
I do have a lot of schooling but for the most part I’ve always worked a paycheck-to-paycheck job while dabbing a little in real estate investing flipping a few houses.
For years though I’ve been a “non-paid” entrepreneur, you could say. I’ve helped so many people with building websites, marketing and structuring their businesses, showed them how to protect their assets, etc - for free.
I just like helping people - and that I think is my biggest asset (and will be a value I provide to my customers). I own a web hosting company and no where have I seen such a business really get involved in helping their customers succeed in their ventures, whether it be for business or simply designing a family website.
I think it’s inevitable that every new entrepreneur is going to go through what you went through - wondering how you can compete with the A-Listers.
The one thing I always try to tell new entrepreneurs when doubting themselves is that they absolutely MUST believe they are capable. Confidence in one’s self is key.
PS Not sure if you’re aware but I can *barely* read the Name, Mail, Website, Subscribe to comments fields on both my computers. You might want to consider changing the text color to something a little brighter.
[…] Check out Dave’s Blog post: How I Boosted My Confidence . . . […]
Seriously Dave, I was planning on going to sleep after I read this post but now I’m way too damn inspired.
I just earned my brown belt in Kung-Fu Ninja Master Confidence.
Hi Dave
Yes, I’ve kinda started doing that. I recently got a writing gig. Took a look at the guy’s website and could see it was in desperate need of some tender loving proofing. So I offered to do it and he said ‘yes’ - all 40 pages!!
take care…
@Jay -
That’s what I like to hear.
@ebele -
Congrats! Be sure to get a great testimonial from him as well.
@John -
Thanks for the kind words. I also see what you’re talking about with the gray text on black … I’ll fiddle ’round with that and tweak it when I do my next run of blog maintenance. Thanks for the feedback.
This post is awesome! Whether you like it or not, Dave, you are my new best friend!
LIke you, I have a knack for finding holes in people’s businesses, mostly from a marketing and promotions point of view. On the vertical side of that, i’ve always been involved in the automotive industry in some regard, so my initial thought was helping those businesses out of their arcane biz mindsets and finding ways to embrace new ideals and new media.
Then I read Seth Godin’s Meatball Sundae. This book has a lot of the same stuff Seth usually talks about, but the main point of the book is that you can’t take the old ideas and make them work with the new tools. You have to rethink the ideas so they match up better with the new tools.
Long story short, what I thought was a good plan might not have been the best plan, so it’s back to the think tank for some reevaluation.
BTW, I’m shocked this wasn’t Dugg, Stumbled and Redditd by anyone else. So I did the honors.
@Dave -
Thanks for the kind words. Go forth and profit!
… and thanks for the social media goodness.
Hi Dave, gawd can I relate to this post, it sounds like me many years ago.
Re “it boils down to this - you don’t consider yourself expert in an area because there are so many people more experty than you are”…
Absolutely! I have a couple of very talented friends who are thinking about venturing into the online world. In one case, what’s been holding her back is the idea that she isn’t “enough of an expert”.
I keep telling her that no matter where you are in the food chain, there will always be people who know more than you do and… many who know less.
So pick your spot(niche), create something useful for them, even as an info or resource aggregator and try it… what’s the worst that can happen?
You get some real world experience and a few lessons about what to do or not to do in your next project.
It’s always easy to find a reason not to try stuff, it’s a lot harder to take the plunge. Again, totally excellent post!
Darn it Dave, you stole my blog post for later this week!
I’m lucky that I’m conceited enough not to worry about what others are doing and just focus on what I do.
Good luck on your foray into freelance writing. I’ve been at it since 1993, and you’re in for a cool ride.
Sincerely,
Yuwanda
@garaughty -
It’s all about pulling the trigger and doing something … you learn more from what happens afterwards than you necessarily would overplanning.
@Yuwanda -
Hey, don’t hold of writing on my account … feel free to riff on what I’ve been talking about on your blog and connect it to your story … Thanks for the good luck wishes, too!
[…] I hang up the phone, it hits me that I just accomplished what I talked about yesterday - getting someone to figure out the best “next step” and the easiest way to make it […]
[…] kind of thinking. That gets you nowhere. It certainly got me nowhere when I was treading water, trying to start a coaching business, but stressing about how I was going to make a name for […]
[…] Don’t be an arrogant prick. But don’t be insufficiently arrogant either. Give fair credit to yourself and broadcast the value you provide and the customers will follow. […]
OH MY WORD - I needed to read this today. BTW if I appear stalkerish, that’s because I am
I’m reading everything on your blog today and I just realised I need to raise my rates!
How did you transition or did you just do it? From $99, that is?
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