Not long after I first entered the world of work, a scene in the office exposed the full extent of my naivety. My boss, a Hong Kong woman in her late thirties whose managerial flair I had always admired, had just learned that one-time Miss Hong Kong winner Michele Reis (李嘉欣) – a beauty known more for her liaisons with rich men than her acting – had managed to marry herself off to the sole heir of a moneyed and distinguished family.

“Wow she’s so so smart!” I heard my boss exclaim from her office.

I was utterly baffled by her sentiment. Why would a capable woman like her speak of a glorified courtesan in such glowing terms?

As I grew older and wiser, however, I came to see the contrast between my boss and Michele Reis in another light. They are simply people on entirely different paths. One cultivates skills and sells them; the other cultivates benefactors and exploits them.The world-renowned heart surgeon Stephen Westaby implanted the world’s first artificial heart in a human, yet he has no idea how to use a computer or repair a car. My guess is if Michele Reis had tried managing an office, she would have deemed the endeavour a complete mystery.

This week, I came across Michele Reis’ spiritual twin, only that this one is much better in that she can teach me a thing or two about writing (in fact, the writing sample I got from her was so outstanding that I filed it away with the best pieces I’ve found). The Daily Mail published an exclusive on Sarah Ferguson’s financial entanglements with Jeffrey Epstein; as corroborating evidence, the tabloid cited this email she had written to him:

“My friend,” she wrote in 2010, shortly before the pedophile was to be released from house arrest, “am I allowed to go visit Little St Jeffs? Or is it unavailable to bankrupts?”

Here is my breakdown of why this note is so well-crafted: Instead of asking Epstein directly for a loan, the former Duchess of York makes visiting his island the main subject and mentions her dire financial straits only in passing; this has the effect of making him feel less put-upon. She also preemptively mocks herself, so that he is less likely to do so. Finally, by deploying humour, she manages to strike the perfect balance between applying pressure on him to lend her money and allowing him the leeway to decline.

I’m afraid when it comes to asking for money, I’m nowhere near Reis’ and Fergie’s level. I’m more like this triple board-certified surgeon I once hired to perform a procedure. He has been practising for almost two decades; he also teaches at a notable university and gives presentations at industry conferences. Yet when I steered our conversation towards a payment issue, he turned into a bundle of nerves. During our in-person consultation, I asked him whether he could offer me a 3% discount if I paid in cash (some clinics are willing to do so; Visa deducts 3% from their proceeds, so offering cash-paying patients a 3% discount makes no difference to the bottom line). The surgeon instantly grew red in the face. “Erm..erm…f-fo-for money matters you should talk to my assistant,” he stammered, as if any discussion of money would instantly lower him to the level of a sleazy used-car salesman.

Below is an email I wrote to my clients last year informing them of a fee increase. Even though it is only 126 words in length, I slaved over it for two to three hours. Like the veteran surgeon, the self-assurance I usually feel when I write and teach instantly vanishes the moment money enters the conversation.

I’ll be raising my fee from $X per hour to $Y starting in June.

This is actually the rate I’ve been charging my newer students. Their parents’ readiness in accepting this rate and their satisfaction at their children’s rapid progress have convinced me that $Y still represents fair value in the tutoring industry.

In the past, when I found myself stuck in unpleasant work situations, I didn’t remain stuck for long –  I had learned writing from the best, and there were always other opportunities for those who could communicate well. By helping your son/daughter strengthen their communication skills, I know they, too, will gain an edge over others, whether at school or in the workplace.

Thank you for entrusting your son/daughter to me.

I still believe this note holds up well. I announced the “bad news” in the first paragraph without waffling or sounding apologetic. I then used third-party validation to justify my decision to raise my fee, and reinforced my value by reminding parents that the benefits I bring to their children can extend well beyond their school years.

The note isn’t as sharp as Sarah Ferguson’s of course, but it served its purpose – over 90% of parents continued hiring me after the price hike.

Michelle Ng

英國牛津大學畢業，前《蘋果日報》和《眾新聞》專欄作家，現在身在楓葉國，心繫中國大陸和香港。