Welcome to Episode 5 of THANKS FOR THINKING, the music business podcast centered around self-reflection and proactivity for thoughtful music production professionals. I’m your host, Carl Bahner.
Today’s topic: Making Assumptions.
In the last episode, we took some time to think about the anxieties and fears we face when selling creative services.
But consider this - what is fear, if not the assumption of a negative outcome?
The Oxford Dictionary defines assumption as “something that you accept as true without question or proof” and we’ve all made them.
It's not entirely our fault - we’re human after all. It may have been more evolutionarily advantageous for our caveman ancestors to go on high alert when they heard a twig snap in the bushes.
But we’re in the 21st century - we’re not living in caves, huddled around a fire for warmth. Those “better safe than sorry” assumptions are no longer keeping us safe from wolves or saber-toothed tigers, they’re only keeping us safe from disappointment and bruised egos.
Many assumptions can be self-fulfilling prophecies. Let’s say that I assume “this person would never hire me.” If, because of that assumption, I never reach out to them in the first place… then of COURSE they won’t hire me. I never gave them the chance!
Similarly, there have been times when I’ve convinced myself “they’re never gonna pay that price” without even giving them the opportunity to say no.
If I never propose a higher rate, well that’s an easy way to guarantee that I’ll never earn that higher rate.
And those times that I did propose a higher rate and actually waited for their response…? More often than not, they said yes.
So let’s take a few moments to think about some assumptions you’ve made in your career.
Today’s reflection question is: When has an assumption I’ve made stopped me from pursuing a career opportunity?
Find a comfortable spot without distractions. I’d like you to spend the next few minutes thinking about some assumptions you’ve made - about pricing, about timelines, and ESPECIALLY assumptions that you eventually realized were dead wrong.
Don’t worry about setting a timer - when the music stops, we’ll move on to today’s action item.
So once again, today’s reflection question is: When has an assumption I’ve made stopped me from pursuing a career opportunity?
I’ll be back in a few minutes.
If you need more time, hit pause and come back when you’re ready.
Don’t feel embarrassed or ashamed about the assumptions you’ve made in your career. This exercise isn’t meant to make you regret those mistakes - it’s meant to help you grow from them. Most importantly, to help you be more aware of any assumptions you might make in the future.
Let’s switch perspectives a bit. I’d like you to think about assumptions that others have made about you in your career.
Maybe you’ve had clients who assumed you’d finish their project in an unreasonably fast turnaround time. Or clients who assume you work weekends. Or maybe clients who assumed vocal tuning is included in the mixing rate. Whatever, you get the idea, but your examples will be unique to you.
Now, let’s take what we’ve discovered about ourselves and apply it.
In order to complete today’s action item, all you’ll need is a word processor or a pen and paper.
Today's action item is: Write down the three most common assumptions that have been made about you, and how you can better communicate the REAL answers to future clients.
For example, if clients commonly assume an unreasonably fast turnaround time for projects, you can give them clear timeline expectations BEFORE you start the project. Generally speaking, “set clear expectations” is the way to prevent most assumptions - but it’s up to you to determine the nuances of how to communicate those expectations.
Alright, let's get started. I’ll be back in a few minutes.
If your need more time, hit pause and come back when you’re ready.
For better and for worse, assumptions are a part of human nature. Whether they’re correct or not is often no more than a lucky guess. The truth is - we can’t avoid them 100% of the time - and neither can our clients. But what we can do is to try to be aware of the assumptions we instinctively make, and question those assumptions thoroughly.
I hope you learned something about yourself today. Maybe it was something small, or maybe it was a significant revelation. As far as I’m concerned, any growth in your self-awareness enhances both your business and your life.
If you found this episode helpful, please like, subscribe, and share this with someone you feel would benefit from exercises like these. You can join the Discord Community using the link in the show notes, connect with me on social media at @carlbahner and @thanksforthinkingpodcast, or reach out directly to info@carlbahner.com
Until next time - Thanks for thinking.