Where the money’s been hiding

When people ask how to get higher-paying clients, what they’re usually doing is looking for tactics.

Things like:

• Raise your prices
• Polish your proposals
• Say “no” more often

Those things do help, but they’re not where the leverage really is. They’re not the reason some agencies get paid more.

Tell me… What’s one thing you do better than the average agency?

It doesn’t mean you have to be award-winning or the best in the world… Just, if 100 similar agencies lined up, you’d comfortably put yourself somewhere in the top half. Maybe top 25.

Start there. But, you’ve got to pair that with one other important (and often misunderstood) detail.

Who actually values that thing the most?

Not who should value it. Not who you wish cared about it… Who would put that as one of their top 3 priorities for their project?

When these two things overlap — your above average skill, and their above average demand — you’re onto something.

Say you’re pretty good at accessibility. You care about it. You test for it. You’re building more accessible sites than most of what you see online.

That absolutely matters. It just doesn’t matter to everyone.

Joe the Plumber probably doesn’t value accessibility. He’s focused on calls, leads, and cost. Accessibility won’t crack his top 10 concerns (even if it should).

But a university? A government-funded nonprofit? That’s a totally different story.

For them, accessibility isn’t a “nice to have” — its mandated. There’s a risk attached to getting it wrong.

That’s the essence of specialization. Not painting yourself into a corner, but positioning your strengths where they’re most valuable.

It’s about relevance.

If someone doesn’t value your thing, they’re not wrong. They’re just not your people. And trying to convince them otherwise will either drive you crazy, or bankrupt your business by doing specialized work for someone unwilling to pay for it.

But when your best skills line up with a client’s biggest concerns, price becomes secondary.

You’re no longer one of 100 agencies they could choose from. You’re exactly what they need.

And of course they’re willing to pay a premium for that.

So instead of asking, “How do I convince better clients to hire me?” or “How can I charge more?” try asking:

What am I already good at… and who values that the most?

The answer to that question is exactly where the money’s been hiding this whole time.