Book Review: Value Based Fees

 

Value-Based Fees, subtitled “How to Charge – And Get – What You're Worth, A Guide for Serious Consultants” is a veritable treasure map that leads to other treasure maps.

It's actually difficult to overstate how much great information is contained between the covers of Alan Weiss' book.

Value Based Fees was first published in 2002, and it quickly became the top book for consultants who needed to figure out how much they should charge their clients for their services.

Weiss has revised this book in this new edition, and he shows how consulting fees are really based on only two things: The value provided in the perception

of the buyer, and the intent of the buyer and the consultant to act ethically. While this sounds like a small distinction, it carries the weight of a $1M idea. The problem, Weiss postulates, is that most consultants just don't understand that the perception of value is the basis of the fee, or that it is necessary for the consultant to articulate the importance of their advice into long-term gains for the client (Again, in the client's perception).

Another problem that Weiss identifies is the fact that consultants often simply don't have the courage nor the actual belief that support the high value they

deliver to clients, and as a result they end up reducing their fees to a level that reflects the consultant's own low self-esteem.

In the end, according to Weiss, consultants are the reason for their own low incomes.

This book aims to change that phenomenon.

The book is filled with stories of successful consultants, and demonstrates in concrete ways how you can educate your clients about the value you're

rendering, and, more importantly, how you can command high fees that are commensurate with the value you render.

The book is filled with step by step guidance, and proven systems for establishing the value of your services and getting clients to pay for that value. This is a hands on book with hands on advice including:

  • Current information on ethical issues.
  • Guidance on making consulting scalable.
  • Key formulas for today's marketplace.
  • New chapters on building wealth and the implication of technology fees.

This book clearly explains how to charge exactly what you're worth and get that price, giving you not theories, but practical advice that will help improve your practice and your income immediately.

Don't be deceived by the book's title or subject matter.  The ideas set forth in this book are not for consultants only, but for anyone who needs to establish and get a higher value for the services or products that they render to their customers and clients.

If you are in any kind of business at all, and even if you are an employee, the ideas, tools, and tactics in this book can revolutionize your life and multiply your income.  Let those with eyes and ears see and hear.  Highly recommended.

Ray Edwards is a world-renowned copywriter and communications strategist, writing for some of the most powerful voices in leadership and business including New York Times bestselling authors Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen (Chicken Soup for the Soul) and Tony Robbins. Ray is a sought-after speaker and author, hosts a popular weekly podcast, and blogs at RayEdwards.com.