From the Superbowl half-time show, to movies and music, to travel destinations, to my recently launched a $297 Intuitive Marketing workshop.
Warning: this is a little bit of a soapbox and also some damn good reminders about your pricing and how “charging what you’re worth” was the worst advice I ever got about pricing.
Everyone has an opinion about everything. Can Adam Levine even sing? (If you didn’t watch the Superbowl Half-time show a few days ago, then you may not know what I’m talking about.)
Perspective is everything.
I talked to a person today who has a BRILLIANT body of work in women’s leadership (it’s much deeper than that, but for the sake of keeping this simple, I’ll just call it women’s leadership).
Her programs range from $9,000 to almost $11,000 for nine months to work with her.
Other people are offering work in the same field for a fraction of that.
A home-study course in the same topic is $997 from another expert I know.
You can get free resources online on the same topic.
So which one is better? Which one has more value? Which one will create results?
An attorney will invest at least $150,000 for their law degree. A hair stylist may invest around $3,000 for their license.
Which person offers more value? Which one is “worth” their hourly rate?
I charge $500 per hour. Clients get bundled pricing when they do packages and programs with me. If someone wants to hire me for an hour, it’s five hundred buckaroos.
Yep, I charge more than most lawyers I know.
The same lawyers I judged harshly for “ripping people off” when I was in my 20s and 30s and full of opinions.
Granted, I had never been “ripped off” by a lawyer but how in the world could someone charge that much? It’s lunacy! <that’s sarcasm, folks>
In a session with a client the other day, who actually happens to be a lawyer, said, “In just 20 minutes, I’ve gotten clarity of what to do next and I’ve been wondering how to do all of this for weeks.”
Hmmm, so if you do the math at his hourly rate, I saved him a couple of thousand dollars if he tried to figure it out himself for a few more weeks. Or if he proceeded with building out his program and marketing plan without the clarity that we got to, how much would that have cost him in lost sales and mistakes?
Clarity in 20 minutes that has the potential to make hundreds of thousands of dollars in the next year.
Last month, I wrote a clients home page in about 15 minutes. It just poured out of me. It needed a few edits, but boom. Done. We loved it!
How dare I charge $2,000 to write someone’s home page?
It actually took me 20 years to write that home page.
But, I just said it took 15 minutes so????
It took a few hours of asking my client questions and tuning into her brand and message from a very soulful and aligned place. Then translating that essence into words that make people want to buy her stuff.
It took years of taking 20 hours to write a home page and even then, it not being too great.
But the actual time of writing her page? Fifteen minutes. Is that worth $2,000?
When you invest in a professional, whether it be a coach, or a doctor, or a graphic designer, or a massage therapist, you are investing in the possibility that they unlock in your life. A possibility that didn’t exist before.
And now it exists because you were willing to invest and show up to RECEIVE their value.
So how much is that person worth?
One hour of sitting in a salon chair? Or getting those knots worked out of your neck? Or getting your gorgeous logo designed? Or your accountant who files your taxes.
What is it worth?
That’s the million dollar question.
==> It’s worth whatever you are willing to receive.
What are your programs and products worth? Not what you think someone will pay, but really, what is it worth?
My Intuitive Marketing workshop is $297. What is it worth? What is the potential amount of money that someone can make from actually marketing themselves well? $1,000? $10,000? a million dollars over the next five years?
If we take the time it took to curate the content from 20 years of marketing experience + over $300,000 of education I’ve invested in my business in the last ten years to learn how to do marketing that works + the cost to get my marketing degree then that workshop is worth hundreds of thousands, maybe even millions, of dollars.
I’ve chosen to price it at $297 and after really looking at this, the price is going up March 1. Maybe sooner.
I’ve had people say, “Wait, I get to spend an entire day with you and just a handful of other people for only $297?” Where do I sign up!?”
One person told me that my emails are a “marketing scam.”
Some people have told me it’s the “best marketing program they’ve taken.”
Others haven’t totally resonated with it like that but thought it was “pretty good” or “really great.”
Some people have responded with how “expensive” a day-long workshop for $297 is and they can’t afford it and, “Why is it so much money?”
All from one offer…
… that is $297.
Meanwhile, I’ve invested $28,000 in 1-year programs where I didn’t get comprehensive of marketing education that my workshop provides.
Granted, I received other things from those programs, including personal mentoring and connections to amazing people.
Things that make you go, “hmmmm…”
So, when it comes to pricing your stuff and selling your stuff, there will be people who don’t like it.
People will…
… have an opinion that it’s too much or too little.
… think YOU are too much or too little.
… tell you should give it to them for free and have great reasons for you to “do the right thing.”
… give you their reasons for what YOU should or shouldn’t do.
… be disappointed in you and the stuff you’re selling.
… be disappointed in themselves that they didn’t show up to receive what you are offering then blame you for it.
And then there will be people who:
Send you texts and emails after every session because they are so grateful to work with you.
Clients will send you a bonus because they value you so much.
Refer people to you because you changed their life.
Fly around the world to come to your events and be in the room with you multiple times a year.
What’s the difference between people in these two lists of folks?
- The person’s willingness to receive from you.
- The person’s willingness to ask for the things you’re asking for.
People will get triggered by your email sequence when they’re not willing to do that in their email sequence.
People will get triggered by your $500 an hour rate when they’re not willing to charge that.
People will judge you for charging $297 for your workshop because it’s priced too low and they question if it will be worth their time.
People’s opinions and reactions to your pricing has nothing to do with you.
All that matters is your alignment with what you are charging.
The most important pricing tip I can give you is to charge what you embody, not what you think people will pay. I have a term I use with my clients, “Charge what you choose.”
It’s just a CHOICE.
How do you know you’re charging enough? You’ll be uncomfortable at first.
There is a big difference between what’s uncomfortable vs what’s not congruent with you.
And by the way, you can never charge what you’re worth. You’re a divine soul. There is not a price tag that can pay for that.
Perhaps it’s time to raise your rates?
P.S. If you want to check out my workshop, go here.
