In this economy......

Over the weekend I was talking business with a woman who runs a very popular (as in "waiting list" popular) craft class. She's pondering raising her prices but, like so many of us, waffling about it. Unsure. Uncomfortable with "asking" for more money. Feeling a little guilty about her success I think.

As she was laying out her concerns, she said "and, of course, in this economy...."

In this economy.

Have you said it? Have you thought it? Did you really mean it or was it just a way to justify your own reluctance to raise your rates? Did you say it without finishing the thought, trusting that we all know what it means?

I'm not saying our entire economy is plump and rosy. There are a lot of people -- waaaaaay too many people -- struggling or just making ends meet. What I've noticed, though, is how often massage therapists and other small business owners toss the phrase out as part of a laundry list of reasons they shouldn't / couldn't raise their rates.

Are you using it as a shield against the decision to raise (or not) your rates? Or is the economy still so shaky in your target market that it is a reasonable consideration?

Do you even know how your target market / client base is doing economically? How your community is doing? Beyond the dire reporting in the evening news (which is rarely the full story)?

The decision to raise our rates gives many of us heartburn. It runs hard into our desire to just be all helpful, considerate, giving, etc. etc. etc. We think we're not being those things -- helpful, considerate, giving, etc. -- by setting our services at a higher rate than they are right now. We think we're "taking" something from them. Something they can't afford.

Do we really know they can't afford it? Do you know how your client base is doing economically? Or does "this economy" really mean "I'm not doing so well financially"?

If you find yourself saying "and of course, in this economy...." do a quick body scan. Is that phrase arising from your brain, from your observations, research, and calculations? Is it rising from your heart? From your gut? What feeling accompanies it? Is it fear? Is it anxiety? Is it discomfort?

You and I know your body will tell you truth while your mind is happily spinning elaborate webs of distraction and deception. Learn the truth. Then make your decisions accordingly.