That advice to 'set a price and stick to it' felt like terrible business advice until it actually worked

I used to think the whole 'never lower your prices' thing was just something rich people say on podcasts. But last year I had a client haggle me down from my usual $60 session rate to $45 and they ended up being the most demanding, flaky person I worked with. It took me about 6 months of losing money on similar deals to finally test raising my rates to a flat $75 for everyone new in January. Lost about 3 potential clients who said it was too steep, but the 10 I kept are way more consistent and actually show up on time. Has anyone else here found that the people who pay full price are just easier to deal with across the board?

2 comments

2 Comments

willow6728d ago

3 of those 10 clients even tipped me extra after our first session because they said they appreciated the clear pricing. It's like setting a higher rate filters out the tire-kickers before they even waste your time. The whole thing taught me that my cheap prices were actually attracting the worst part of my customer base.

leep338d ago

Yeah, that bit about cheap prices attracting the worst customers really hit home for me. A buddy of mine used to sell his handmade furniture for next to nothing online and got nothing but people haggling over delivery and canceling last minute. He doubled his prices, started posting better photos, and now his buyers actually treat him like a professional and leave nice reviews.