I used to bend over backwards, doing things for free, for unappreciative clients who didn’t pay me.  I would work 18 hours a day, pay my developers first, and then HOPE my client would honor the contract and pay on time.  I would expand the scope of a project to make the client happy, without getting anything extra in return.

This does not work.  You try to rationalize it by saying, Oh, but it will pay off in the long run.  They will pay me better next time.

WRONG!

All it really does is devalue your services. I have found that it is better to qualify your clients and make sure they are willing and able to pay, before lifting a finger.

One of my graphic design professors at Collins College (Thanks, Kevin!) gave me a great piece of advice.  It was more of a motto.

“I don’t need the money that bad.”

What does this mean? If your prospects can smell your desperation they will capitalize on it. If you are willing to walk away from the deal, though, they will see that you don’t have time for games, and be more willing to pay you what you are worth.

These seven words, although I didn’t apply them for almost a decade, finally CLICKED in my head one day.

It relates to the design industry, it relates to relationships, and it relates  to almost anything you can think of.

Instead of viewing your business as a way to get money, view it as a way you help others get what they want. If you are trying to help someone, they should be willing to reciprocate.  If you are trying to make a fast buck, then it’s no wonder they are also only looking out for their own interests.

I would love to hear comments.  Part Two will be a more in depth look at how to apply these 7 words, to help us reach our goal: to make a living without investing all of our most precious resource: time.