How to set your price when you're starting out alone
A price isn't guessed and isn't copied from a competitor: it's derived from the result you produce and verified on three real conversations.
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What is actually blocking you
- You start from your hours instead of the customer's outcome.
- You state the price at the end of the call, unsure, having never said it out loud.
- You offer three lookalike packages: the buyer postpones the decision.
Today's plan
- Prepare
Price the outcome, not the hours (20 min)
Write what the customer earns or saves in three months because of you, in money. Your price sits between 10% and 20% of that. One reference price, one higher option.
- Execute
Say it to 3 people (30 min)
One sentence, no apology, no pre-emptive discount: "It's 900, with that result inside thirty days." Then go quiet and listen to the first objection.
- Measure
Log the reactions (3 min)
Three instant yeses: too low. Three refusals on price alone: too high. One yes out of three with negotiation: you're in the right place.
The number to track
Acceptance rate at the stated price across your last ten proposals. Better to track than revenue alone.
Mistakes to avoid
- Offering a discount before it's asked for.
- Matching a competitor whose costs and promise you don't know.
- Changing price every week: no test stays readable.
Frequent questions
- Should prices be public?
- Yes for a standard offer: it filters out-of-budget requests. No for custom work, where scope changes everything.
- How do I raise prices with existing customers?
- New price for new customers first, then a dated notice to existing ones with thirty days' warning and the result you produced for them as justification.
Your price, tested not guessed
The free 2-minute diagnostic gives you the range to test this week and the announcement sentence that fits your offer.
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