The gap between what you’re charging and what you’re worth isn’t just about money – it’s about respect, boundaries, and the value you place on your own expertise. As our guest Joanne Bradford proves in our final Best Of episode, sometimes the difference between struggling and thriving is simply having the courage to add a zero and see what happens. Your expertise has value. Your time has value. Stop apologizing for that and start getting paid accordingly.
Join us as we dive deep into pricing psychology, negotiation strategies, and the mindset shifts needed to finally get paid what you’re worth. Joanne shares the revolutionary “add a zero” technique that helped one consultant jump from $10,000 to $85,000 for the same project!
Key Takeaways:
- The importance of asking for higher prices and negotiating.
- Strategies for pricing and packaging services to get serious commitments from clients.
- The challenges of service-based businesses, like over-servicing and chasing clients, and the need to set clear boundaries.
- The significance of understanding your target audience and who is willing to pay for your services, rather than trying to appeal to everyone.
- The value of having a solid financial plan, being aware of personal finances, and having important documents like wills and trusts in place.
Joanne Says: You’re Not Too F***ing Old! To get laid (and paid!)!
The Complete Guide to Pricing Psychology: How to Get Paid What You’re Worth
Introduction
You work hard. You deliver amazing results. Your clients love what you do. But here’s the painful truth: you’re probably charging way too little for your services.
This isn’t about being greedy or money-hungry. It’s about understanding your true value and having the confidence to ask for it. Whether you’re a consultant, coach, designer, or any other service professional, the way you price your work sends a powerful message about the quality and impact you deliver.
This article breaks down the psychology behind pricing, based on insights from business executives who have built billion-dollar companies. You’ll learn why most people undercharge, how to shift your mindset around money, and practical strategies to increase your rates without losing clients.
If you’re tired of working harder for less money, this guide is for you.
Prerequisites
Are You Ready for This?
Before you dive into these pricing strategies, ask yourself: Are you truly committed to valuing your work appropriately? This isn’t about overnight changes or magic tricks. It requires you to face some uncomfortable truths about how you view money and your own worth.
You need to be ready to have conversations that might feel awkward at first. You need to be willing to lose some prospects who aren’t the right fit. Most importantly, you need to believe that your expertise has real value.
What You’ll Need
To implement these strategies effectively, gather these resources:
- Financial clarity: Know exactly what you earn and spend each month
- Market research: Understand what others charge for similar services
- Service packaging: Clear descriptions of what you deliver
- Client testimonials: Proof of the results you create
- Confidence building: Practice having money conversations
- Boundary setting: The ability to say no to bad-fit prospects
Step-by-Step Guide
Step 1: Master the Mental Math That Changes Everything
Most people set their prices based on fear, not value. They think about what they can “get away with” instead of what their work is actually worth. This backwards thinking keeps talented professionals trapped in a cycle of undercharging and overworking. The problem starts in your head, with limiting beliefs about what people will pay and what you deserve to earn. Many service providers also make the mistake of pricing based on their own financial situation rather than the value they create for clients. The solution lies in a simple but powerful mental exercise that forces you to think bigger and challenges your assumptions about what’s possible.
Key Takeaway: Your pricing ceiling exists mainly in your mind, not in the market.
Action Steps:
- Take your current price and mentally add a zero to it
- Ask yourself: “What would I need to deliver to justify this higher price?”
- Research what established experts in your field actually charge
- Practice saying higher numbers out loud until they feel normal
- Start small increases (20-30%) rather than dramatic jumps
Step 2: Package Your Expertise Like a Premium Product
The biggest pricing mistake most service providers make is selling their time instead of their results. When you charge by the hour or offer vague “consulting services,” you commoditize yourself and make it easy for clients to compare you to cheaper alternatives. This approach also puts you in the position of constantly justifying your time rather than showcasing your expertise. Smart businesses don’t sell ingredients – they sell complete solutions. The key is to bundle your knowledge, processes, and deliverables into clear packages that solve specific problems. This positions you as the expert with a proven system rather than just another freelancer selling hours.
Key Takeaway: Clients pay premium prices for certainty and results, not time.
Action Steps:
- Define 2-3 specific problems your ideal clients face
- Create structured packages that solve these problems completely
- Include clear deliverables and timelines for each package
- Name your packages with benefit-focused titles
- Price packages based on value delivered, not time invested
- Build in natural upgrade paths between package levels
Step 3: Qualify Your Prospects Before You Quote
Here’s a reality check: not everyone is your ideal client. Many service providers waste countless hours creating proposals for prospects who were never going to pay premium rates in the first place. This happens because they skip the crucial step of qualifying prospects before investing time in the sales process. Qualification isn’t about being picky or exclusive – it’s about ensuring mutual fit. When you work with clients who understand and appreciate your value, you deliver better results and everyone wins. The secret is to ask questions that reveal whether a prospect has the budget, authority, and mindset to work with you at your preferred price point.
Key Takeaway: Better prospects lead to better projects and higher profits.
Action Steps:
- Ask prospects about their previous experience with similar services
- Find out their budget range before presenting any solutions
- Determine who makes the final purchasing decision
- Understand their timeline and urgency level
- Assess whether they view this as an investment or expense
- Walk away from prospects who aren’t a good fit
Step 4: Separate Strategic Exposure from Income Generation
One of the most common pricing dilemmas is when to work for free versus when to charge full rates. Many professionals struggle with this decision and end up undervaluing their work in situations where they should be charging premium prices. The key insight is that every professional opportunity falls into one of two categories: strategic exposure or income generation. Strategic exposure includes speaking at industry events, writing guest articles, or participating in high-visibility projects where the main benefit is relationship building and brand awareness. Income generation focuses purely on delivering results for clients who pay market rates. The mistake happens when you confuse the two or try to do both simultaneously.
Key Takeaway: Be intentional about when you’re investing time versus earning money.
Action Steps:
- Decide whether each opportunity is for exposure or income
- Set annual limits on how much free work you’ll do
- Only work for free when there’s a clear strategic benefit
- Charge full rates for all client work that solves business problems
- Don’t discount your services for “good causes” without a specific reason
- Track the return on investment from your free work
Step 5: Build Confidence Through Financial Awareness
The foundation of confident pricing is crystal-clear financial awareness. Most people avoid looking at their money situation, which creates anxiety and leads to desperate pricing decisions. When you don’t know your numbers, you can’t make strategic choices about what projects to take or what rates to charge. This lack of clarity also makes it impossible to set meaningful financial goals or track your progress toward them. The antidote to money anxiety is radical transparency with yourself about your financial reality. This means tracking every dollar that comes in and goes out, understanding your true costs of doing business, and setting specific targets for your income and savings.
Key Takeaway: Financial clarity creates pricing confidence and better business decisions.
Action Steps:
- Calculate your exact monthly personal and business expenses
- Set specific income targets for the next 12 months
- Track all money movement weekly, not monthly or yearly
- Know your minimum rates to maintain your desired lifestyle
- Understand the tax implications of different income levels
- Build a financial buffer that lets you be selective with clients
Conclusion
The path to getting paid what you’re worth isn’t about aggressive sales tactics or complicated pricing formulas. It’s about fundamentally shifting how you think about value, money, and your own expertise.
The biggest insight from this guide is simple but powerful: your pricing reflects your beliefs about your own value. When you truly understand the problems you solve and the results you deliver, charging appropriately becomes natural rather than awkward.
Here’s your action plan to implement these ideas:
- Start with your mindset – Practice the mental math exercise with your current prices
- Package your expertise – Transform your services into clear, results-focused offerings
- Qualify ruthlessly – Only invest time in prospects who can and will pay your rates
- Be strategic – Separate free exposure work from paid client work
- Know your numbers – Build financial awareness that supports confident pricing decisions
Remember, undercharging doesn’t just hurt you – it devalues your entire industry and makes it harder for other professionals to charge appropriately. When you price your services based on the value you create, you contribute to a healthier marketplace for everyone.
The clients who are the right fit for you want to pay for quality. They’re looking for expertise, not the cheapest option. Your job is to find them and serve them at the level they deserve. Start with small price increases, build your confidence, and watch as better clients start seeking you out.
Your expertise has value. Your time has value. Stop apologizing for that and start getting paid accordingly.
Learn more about Jen Marples at https://www.jenmarples.com
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