You sent the proposal.
The rate was fair. More than fair, actually — you probably could've charged more. But you did your research. You know what you bring. You typed the number without flinching and hit send.
And then the waiting started.
It's been 24 hours. No response yet. Totally normal. People are busy. Decisions take time.
So why are you already drafting a follow-up email with a lower number?
Maybe I came in too high. Maybe I should offer a discount to sweeten it. Maybe if I just adjust this one line item, they'll say yes faster.
They haven't said no. They haven't pushed back. They haven't asked for a discount.
But you're already negotiating — against yourself.
Here's the impossible game at work: You've been taught that your value is up for debate. That asking for what you're worth is "risky." That the safest move is to undercut yourself before someone else does.
So you preemptively shrink. You offer less before anyone asks you to. You treat your own worth like an opening bid instead of a final answer.
Meanwhile, he quoted 20% higher than you, provided half the detail, and is currently not thinking about it at all. Because it never occurred to him that his rate needed justifying.
You did the work. You know the value. You said the number.
Now let it sit.
Their silence isn't a rejection. And even if they come back with questions, that's a conversation — not a signal to collapse.
She didn't get where she is by bidding against herself. She got there by stating her worth and letting the room catch up.
Permission to hold the line. Permission to let your rate stand without apology.
Boardroom Badass — your accomplice in owning your worth.