A quick note about your pricing
It's Wednesday, January 15th, and today we're talking about why a few common pricing practices are failing everyone.
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Last week I clicked through to a website, immediately spotted what I was looking for, and then hit the pricing page.
There it was, in all its glory:
"Contact us to discuss pricing options"
I closed the tab fast enough to pull a muscle.
Here's what kills me about this: we've normalized a practice that is obviously, painfully manipulative. And the worst part is everyone knows it.
The company knows it.
The customer knows it.
The sales team definitely knows it.
Yet we all play along with this strange dance where businesses hide their prices until they can get you "on a quick call."
Here's my *strong* opinion: If you can't put your pricing on your website, you don't trust your own value proposition.
You're essentially saying "I need to get you in a high-pressure situation before I reveal this critical piece of information because I don't believe you'll understand the value otherwise."
This isn't a business strategy. It's a crutch.
And it gets worse when we add in its equally problematic cousin: "What's your budget?"
You reach out to a wedding photographer and their first response is "What's your budget?"
Why is the onus suddenly on me, the customer, to understand industry pricing standards?
I don't know what's reasonable. I don't know what impacts the cost. I don't know what separates a $500 photographer from a $5,000 one. That's quite literally why I'm asking you.
We hear a lot about the psychology of pricing, but there's one aspect missing from the conversation:
Most people's initial budget for something new is $0 until they understand the value.
When I first considered a nutrition coach, I didn't sit down and say "I shall allocate $X to this endeavor!" I wanted to understand what coaching could do for my life, and then I'd figure out how to make it happen if the value was there.
Now, I know what some of you are thinking: "But every client is different! We need to customize our approach!"
I get it.
Put your base pricing on the website and then customize up from there.
Because here's what this kind of "customization" really means in practice:
* You're wasting time on calls with people who can't afford you
* You're constantly negotiating prices
* You're creating an inconsistent experience
* You're not using a value-based approach
* You're making it difficult to scale your business effectively
So many experienced leaders use this approach, which is baffling, because they've had enough customers to know their pricing structure.
Price transparency isn't just about being upfront with numbers. It's about respect. When you hide your pricing, you're telling potential customers that you don't trust them to make informed decisions about their own money.
So who's doing this right?
- Stripe. Their pricing is crystal clear: 2.9% + 30¢ per successful transaction. No surprises.
- Basecamp. Fixed pricing with everything included.
- Even high-end services like Superhuman are upfront: $30/month to make email suck less.
These companies aren't just transparent - they're confident. They know their value and they're not afraid to state their price because they've done the work to make sure that price delivers results.
I realize that for many service providers, the (well-intended) goal is to "work with" clients. But the fixes are easy:
1. Put your pricing on your website
2. Explain what influences that pricing
3. Be clear about what customers get
4. If you need to customize, explain why and how
Because at the end of the day, if you can't clearly articulate your pricing, you haven't clearly articulated your value. And that's not a customer problem - that's a company problem.
Onward,
April
