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A friend of mine is a niche director—and she is no slouch: five Emmy nominations with three wins over the course of her career.
And while she’s done her share of the work-till-you-drop projects, she’s sworn them off.
Now, she works only when and with whom she wants.
Case in point: she was recently asked to direct a high-visibility production involving celebrity voice-over actors.
After a few pointed questions about process and outcomes, she laid out her two requirements for taking the job: the voice actors had to come to the studio to do their lines in person AND the producer had to fly in to manage the potential clash of personalities and ensure safety protocols were followed.
No surprise—they quickly said yes, paid her top-drawer fees and closed the deal.
Oh, that’s just Hollywood, you might say.
And maybe I’d agree with you, except that there are a ton of directors who would have said yes without any pre-conditions.
These people wanted her.
Kind of like in our expertise businesses, when your client doesn’t want just any consultant, they want you.
They want the one that (fill-in-the-blank)…
- Wrote the book.
- Gave that stellar speech.
- Hosts the niche podcast.
- Delivered outsize transformations for their peers.
Once you’ve changed the conversation from “I want someone to help me” to “I want you and only you to do this”, that’s when everything starts to change.
You get to define your terms—and your best clients and buyers will accept swiftly (and happily).
And just to be clear, that means you name your price, when you get paid and how/when/where you’ll work your magic.
So no, it’s not Hollywood—it’s actually better.