Hi Dr. D., I just heard back from King & Queen county (my hometown). Rather than select one of my packages, they’d like a one-day session (Still YAY!) in the spring. The director asked for my one-day rate, but I wrote back and asked a few questions, including “What budget do you have allotted for April 30th? Let me know and I can create a package specific to the needs we discussed.” IS THAT OKAY?? I’m not supposed to name a number, right??!

You have a program. An after-school program. A camp. Mentoring, music, arts, STEM, financial literacy, wellness, PD for teachers. Something you already run, or something you have been sitting on. Districts have money right now that has to move before it expires. That money buys programs like yours. Wednesday, October 7 at 6:00 PM Central, I am walking through how to get your program in front of the people spending it, and get paid for it. Free. Ninety minutes. Live. This one is for you. I am not talking about grants. I am talking about getting in the door and getting a contract. The replay goes to everyone who registers. Questions are live only, so if you have one, be in the room. Save your seat here --- YOUR TURN --- Drop the name of your program below. If you have not launched it yet, give me the one-sentence version. I will tell you what a district would need to hear to say yes to it.

Have you ever worked in somebody else’s after-school, summer, mentoring, enrichment, or tutoring program? What did they pay you? Maybe $25 an hour. Maybe $35. You were managing the students, teaching the content, handling transitions, communicating with families, and producing the outcomes. Meanwhile, the typical after-school program can generate $25,000 to $50,000 over a semester. They owned the program. They received the contract. You received the hourly rate. That is not because they were more qualified than you. They understood how to package the program and sell it to schools. Let’s see what your expertise could become. Drop these three things in the comments: 1. Who would your program serve? 2. How many participants would it include? 3. How often would you work with them? Do not give me a price. During The October Money workshop, I’m going to pull several programs from this thread and show you how they could be structured and priced for schools. We are not talking only about tutoring. Schools pay for STEM, arts, dance, mentoring, wellness, college and career readiness, family engagement, professional development, and other programs that produce outcomes. Wednesday, October 7 at 6:00 PM Central Free and live on Zoom. The replay will be available, but I’m only answering individual program questions live. Save your seat here: https://octobermoney.netlify.app/ Quick poll: Have you ever been paid hourly to work inside someone else’s program?

Honest answers today. No performing. Finish this sentence without trying to sound confident: "When I think about asking somebody to buy from me, I feel ________ because ________." We are not fixing it yet. We are naming what is actually there. For some of you it is fear of rejection. For some it feels pushy. For some it feels like bragging, and you were raised not to brag. For some it is simply not knowing what to say. All of those are different problems with different solutions, which is why "just be more confident" has never worked for anybody. Finish the sentence. These beliefs are exactly what we have to separate from the mechanics of having an actual sales process. You can have the best process in the world and still not use it.

Five-star care is not expensive. Today's challenge: make one person feel remembered. A snack. A voice note. A coffee. A text right before a hard meeting. A resource you know they have been looking for. Notice how little it takes to deepen a relationship when you are actually paying attention. Now the business version of the same thing, because it is the same skill. What is one thoughtful touch you can make with a potential buyer this week without asking them for anything? Send the article. Congratulate the promotion. Remember the thing they mentioned in June. One personal touch. One buyer touch. Report back.