Carol's comments

Great point about trying to squeeze three or four topics into one article. Then we wonder why we run out of ideas. :)

http://www.workhomeyou.com/

My article called "To Tell the Truth" is about this topic of "to publish or not to publish." You can read it at this site, for home-based business owners, until the end of April.

I wrote an article awhile back, called "To Tell the Truth," that has just been published in the online magazine WHY (http://www.WorkHomeYou.com) that you can read there until the end of April . It addresses this very topic, including a way to address fears and doubts about fee-setting and fee-posting. (By the way, I am someone who does publish my fees, and I think it's fine not to.)

Before we all had websites, I always did business with people I'd never met and whose photo I had never seen. Seems unbelievable now.

The secular definition of sacred = worthy of respect; venerable. Here are some texts I quote from often that fit that description for me.

Anything written or co-written by Byron Katie, especially A Thousand Names for Joy (great for working on self-limiting beliefs)

Tao Te Ching - Stephen Mitchell's translation is my favorite. The consummate text on leadership. Also see his translation of the Bhagavad Gita. The Gita tells us to work without desire for results, which seems contrary to the entrepreneurial mindset, but actually frees me to be of service, which of course creates results whether I seek them or not.

Doing Nothing by Steven Harrison. There's a section on nonduality in business that totally rocks.

Nonviolent Communication by Marshall Rosenberg.

Anything by Natalie Goldberg.

Agreed. What's more gratifying than seeing those readership stats!

Drop out white type on a dark background is my bete noir. Looks great, but try to read it if you're over 40!

Good ideas, Lori. And, in my experience, it's really important to review the business cards immediately after the event, lest I forget them. Recalling their faces and our conversation and following up immediately is the only way I know to maintain a genuine connection. It's too tempting to stick the cards in a drawer for later.

I do post my prices, and you know what? People don't read that part of the website first...in fact, most who have found me on the web, and call me to discuss working with them, haven't even noticed that I list my fees, so we end up having that discussion anyway. Or I direct them back to the website, which is a good thing; it reminds the potential client why they contacted me in the first place.

Funny how that works...

Another reason why I post fees: as a consumer, I like to know upfront what something is going to cost me, so I appreciate seeing right away if the figure is way out of my reach...and if so, whether I'm willing to stretch in order to reach for it. That's not something anyone with any amount of sales savvy can convince me to do, and I have to assume my clients are at least as smart as I am. At least, I hope they are.

My business has increased as a result of posting my fees as well. I think this is because those who contact me are more qualified clients. Before, I used to get a lot of, "Well, I can't afford much..." (meaning, it had better be practically free.)

Gosh, if I'm a larger entity then my clients can't get the benefit of my personal touch! :) I love being small, which is not the same thing as playing small. Great article, Karrie!

Excellent! And I would add that we disappoint ourselves when we aren't clear with ourselves, first, what we expect, and whether that expectation is reasonable.