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My mentor told me in 2019 to never lower my price, and I followed that for 2 years until a guy in Reno proved him half wrong
Back when I was just starting out doing solo work, a guy I looked up to told me flat out, never drop your number for anybody, the second you do they own you. So I held the line hard for about 2 years, lost probably $8k in jobs because of it, and felt pretty good about myself honestly. Then last spring a property manager in Reno asked me to come down 15 percent on a recurring contract and I almost said no out of habit. But I asked her what the budget actually was instead of just walking, and it turned out the gap was only about $60 a month, not the 15 percent I was picturing. We met in the middle on a 6 month trial with a rate bump built in, and that one deal turned into 3 more buildings through her referral. So the advice was not wrong exactly, but it was missing the part about finding out why they are pushing back before you dig in. The real move was asking questions first and quoting second. Has anybody else had a mentor rule that turned out to be half true once you actually tested it?
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fisher.jessica13d ago
Have you ever noticed how the best lessons come from people who admit they got it wrong sometimes? My uncle ran a garage for 30 years and swore up and down you never hire family, no exceptions. Then his own brother needed work after getting laid off and he hired him anyway, and that guy ended up running the place better than anyone. So the rule was not really "never hire family," it was "never hire family unless you actually know what you are getting." Same thing with your pricing story. The mentor's rule was probably right for him because of who he was and what he sold, but rules like that get passed down without the fine print attached. What you did was find the fine print. Asking what the real budget number was instead of guessing at it, that is the whole thing right there. Most people hear "come down 15 percent" and either cave or walk, but you just asked a question and the number turned out to be way smaller than your brain made it. That is a skill most folks never pick up.
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