Excerpt by Ellen Rohr

Legend has it that Pablo Picasso was sketching in the park when a bold woman approached him.

“It’s you — Picasso, the great artist! Oh, you must sketch my portrait! I insist.”

So Picasso agreed to sketch her. After studying her for a moment, he used a single pencil stroke to create her portrait. He handed the woman his work of art.

“It’s perfect!” she gushed. “You managed to capture my essence with one stroke, in one moment. Thank you! How much do I owe you?”

“Five thousand dollars,” the artist replied.

“B-b-but, what?” the woman sputtered. “How could you want so much money for this picture? It only took you a second to draw it!”

To which Picasso responded, “Madame, it took me my entire life.”

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It’s very easy for clients to commoditize professional services. To this lady, the portrait took little time to produce and used inexpensive resources.

Similarly for all creative artists, a blu-ray delivered or 4×6″ print is relatively cheap in cost, but the skills used to capture the moment quickly are neglected.

Therefore, as important as it is to hone your skills in your craft, portraying that worth is equally important. There are so many forces that dictate value, which changes all of the time.

  • Economic forces
  • Political forces
  • Legal and regulatory forces
  • Technological forces
  • Competitive forces
  • Sociocultural forces
  • Environmental disasters (hurricanes, floods, fire, tsunami, and etc.)

Take the time to evaluate your situation and pitch yourself best. Good luck!

Fondly,

Lawrence Chan

P.S. Have you ever experienced a time when someone could not understand your value? Comment below!

P.P.S. As for me, I totally understood the reason for the long queues at Clinton Street Baking Company in NYC after I took a bite of its famous blueberry pancakes. 😛 Worth the wait. Worth the calories.

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Read more about this rewritten 2nd edition pricing e-book HERE.

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