I was afraid to ask
by Holly LanesmithI learned a valuable life lesson when I was only 10 years old.
It was a freezing cold winter day in Pittsburgh, and I had asked an elderly neighbor, Mrs. Schuler if I could shovel the snow on her sidewalk and driveway.
She asked me how much I would charge her, and I froze… not from the weather, but from the fear of asking for the amount I wanted to earn that day.
I quickly said the lowest number that made any sense to me "$3.00," I said.
I knew as I said the words that I was making a mistake, but I was afraid to say what I really wanted and knew it was worth..$15.00—five times what I had just agreed to.
She agreed and told me she’d give me an extra $2 if I’d retrieve the rock salt out of the community box at the top of our hill (which was put out by the city for people to use).
I agreed and she closed the door and left me to the freezing weather and hours of back-breaking work.
I remember the flood of emotions I felt during those hours.
I felt ashamed and small because I didn't speak up for myself.
I felt resentment towards her for "taking advantage" of me; ‘she should have saved me from myself,’ I thought quietly.
As the hours passed, I felt angrier and angrier… I was mad at the weather, the shovel, the snow, her, myself, and my family for being poor.
Once I finished, I went right up to her door and knocked to tell her I was done.
She told me to wait there on the porch so she could look out the windows and inspect my work.
She came back to the door after several minutes that seemed like hours.
Because I didn’t ask for my value, I was reduced to only hoping that she would take pity on me and give me a big tip for doing such a good job.
She opened the door and handed me a five-dollar bill.
With a smile, she said, "Wow, you did a great job!"
Better than the older boy who had done work for her in the past.
She then said, "Come back next week and I’ll let you do it again."
I walked off the porch feeling dejected and angry… I was angry at her… but in my heart, I was angry at myself.
I’d like to say that I never undersold myself again, but I did indeed undervalue myself many times after that.
In fact, I would spend years undervaluing myself and being afraid to ask for what I was worth.
It wasn’t until years later that all of that changed and I began to know my value. And more importantly, what the people I was serving valued.
Once I knew how to determine my value and what my clients valued, I began to study the art of sales communication.
...How to guide my prospects to become aware of THEIR problems and how I could help them solve those problems.
Today, I am grateful for Mrs. Schuler for not taking "pity" on me and letting me learn this tough lesson.
Had she taken pity on me and just gave me a few extra dollars that cold day, I may not have been motivated by all of those negative emotions to change.
Sometimes it’s when our back is right up against the wall that we can begin to stand up for ourselves.
Here is what I know: you are worth it!
You owe it to yourself and to your dream to hear what I am offering.
It costs you nothing to have the call, and I guarantee if you enroll in this program, you will more than double your investment through increased sales AND with higher prices that are in alignment with your value.
Because you owe it to yourself to know your worth.