The Happy Pricing Podcast
This is a podcast for purpose driven freelancers and founders who do valuable work and want to price in a way that makes them and their customers happy. This isn't about being cheap to make customers happy or over-pricing to take advantage of people but to practice the conversations about pricing and increase your capabilities to have these conversations so that everyone shares in the value of your work.
Wed, November 20, 2024
3 years of Happy Pricing in 25 minutes
Carlos and Ben wrap up their Happy Pricing podcast series with a look back on what they’ve learned, and take a moment to think about what’s next. Links Join the Happy Pricing course Listen to Peripheral Thinking , Ben’s podcast Listen to the Happy Entrepreneur podcast , co-hosted by Carlos
Wed, November 06, 2024
How to deal with your customer saying no
What's the first thing you do when a potential customer tells you that they don't want to work with you? Run and hide? Here's how it went… You've had a great conversation. You've explained to them what you do and how experienced you are. They nodded and smiled and listened to everything you said. They even asked some questions. They then asked you to send them a proposal and a price. You do that. And then tumbleweed. A couple of days later you follow up with an email, and a couple of days after that they get back to you saying no. How does that feel? And what do you do? For most people it feels like a punch in the gut – a painful rejection, particularly when the initial conversation felt so promising. And for most, after hearing such news, they put their tails between their legs and retreat. But when is no really a no? And if it's really a no, what were the reasons for the no? Who knows? On today's episode, Ben and Carlos share the things you need to do when you hear a no, so you can either turn it into a yes or find out the real reasons behind it. They also talk about the feelings that being told no can create and how we deal with them. Links Join the Happy Pricing course Join the conversation live
Wed, October 23, 2024
Do you feel like a tiny boat on a choppy sea?
When you’re working for yourself or running a small business, navigating challenging times can feel like being a little boat on choppy seas. Your job is to keep the boat float until calmer waters come. You're feeling nauseous from the continues ups and downs of the waves and at the same time you’re trying to scrabble around grabbing ropes trying to steady the sail and keep on course. That's a lot to deal with on your own. So what can you do? For Ben, these three quotes helped: "A whole and rich life can be lived in a small village." "The most important thing is to know is to know the most important thing." "Some of the worst things in my life never even happened." On today’s episode, Ben and Carlos talk about how these quotes helped Ben in his meditation business and how they could help you. Links Join the Happy Pricing course Join the conversation live
Wed, October 09, 2024
Selling to and pricing for corporate clients
How would you sell and price an immersive retreat experience for people in the corporate world? What would we need to do to be confident and clear about the value and the cost? There have been similar discussions within the Happy Startup community about pricing services for corporate clients. In this episode, bioinspired business consultant Lucy (of Work Wild ) joins Carlos and Ben to discuss pricing experiences in nature for teams of varying sizes, from small charities to large corporates. Links Join the Happy Pricing course Join the conversation live
Wed, September 25, 2024
Why pricing matters
Carlos was watching a webinar from the "6 figure side hustle" people when he heard them talk about some really interesting pricing principles. "People aren't logical. They're psychological." And so there are simple things you can do that can help you increase your prices. Whilst it may seem like manipulation, it's also about believing in the value you create – and making sure your customers believe in it too. On this episode, Ben and Carlos discuss options and ordering, framing, and 10xing your price. Links Join the Happy Pricing course Join the conversation live
Wed, September 11, 2024
How to be financially free
Alexlouise is a money success coach and author of Rock Solid Money Maker. She joins Carlos and Ben to talk about financial freedom. They cover what it means for her and what she believes you need to think and do to achieve it. Links Join the Happy Pricing course Join the conversation live
Wed, August 28, 2024
Would you buy a course for £96,000?
Ben and Carlos reflect on the pricing of the Do Lectures’ latest course, the Secrets of Small Magical Events – a course to help you run events that benefit your business rather than burn you out. For over 15 years, David and his team at the Do Lectures have iterated towards a model for an events business that works for them, and now they’re sharing it with others. Both Laurence and Carlos were curious about this course, as this they hosted their own small “magical” event, the Happy Startup Summercamp which is now in its 10th year. Maybe they could teach a similar course themselves? But how much could they sell it for, and to whom? Well, why not learn from what’s gone before? Looking through the lens of the Happy Pricing course, Carlos and Ben analyse and reflect on the Do Lectures course and try to understand how they’ve pitched their pricing. If you’re thinking of selling your own magical events or you’re wondering how to design your own high ticket offer, this episode should help you. Links Join the Happy Pricing course Join the conversation live
Wed, August 14, 2024
How to ask for money without feeling greedy
Recently one of the Happy Startup community members approached Carlos with a challenging situation. They are owed several thousands of pounds for work they’d done for their client but the client said they were unable to pay the whole amount in one go. While they’ve offered to pay in a set of 3 monthly instalments, the community member is feeling nervous about that proposal – they’re worried they won’t get paid the full amount. However, they were nearly going accept this offer but caught themselves before saying yes. They’re a compassionate, kind person who is always willing to help. They also know some of the current cashflow challenges that their client has. However, they have their own needs. They’re needing to move home soon and will need money for deposits and removal people. They need the cash too. So rather than defaulting to meeting someone else’s needs before their own, it was time for them to have some clear conversations about money. While we need more generous people in the world, if this generosity is actually a mask that hides a need to please or a fear of confrontation then it can also cause harm rather than just good. It can have an impact on your own wellbeing and sustainability. Asking for money isn’t wrong when you’re owed it… and you’re worth it. Links Join the Happy Pricing course Join the conversation live
Wed, July 31, 2024
How to price products vs services
Tom Nixon is a coach who helps founders create purpose-driven companies. He's also the founder of Maptio, an online tool that helps fast-changing organisations visually map how their teams are organised and evolve. And he's the author of Work With Source , a modern guide to business building. And he's also a money geek. He sells coaching services, and he sells a software product. On today's episode, he shares his pricing approach to both. Links Tom’s website Maptio Work With Source Join the Happy Pricing course Join the conversation live
Wed, July 17, 2024
How to price a client-friendly retainer
If you’re a coach, consultant or agency one way to be able to guarantee some steady income is to work on a retainer basis. But what does that mean from the client’s perspective? How do you generate the commitment from clients to engage in a longer relationship, particularly if the work you do can be responsive and emergent? How do you set the boundaries and expectations for the work? And how do you come to am acceptable price for the monthly retainer? This blog post by Tom Nixon is a helpful way to think about selling client-friendly retainers. He talks about about how sales is consulting, how to sell value and find the right number, and how to cultivate commitment and make it easier for clients to say yes. On this episode, Ben and Carlos offer their thoughts to help you sell client-friendly retainers that meet your need for focus, stability and to do good work. Links Join the Happy Pricing course Join the conversation live
Wed, July 03, 2024
How to price a retreat
In November Matthew Matheson is hosting a retreat to help people re-connect with their authentic selves.It 's an idea that he developed during his time on the Vision 20/20 program. Carlos and Ben talk with Matthew about the process he's been going through to price the retreat and see if they can help him get clearer about what that price could be. Links Join the Happy Pricing course Join the conversation live Matthew’s retreat
Wed, June 19, 2024
How to help customers decide... to buy from you
Ben and Carlos try to interpret an email from Seth Godin to see how it relates to pricing and selling. How do we help our customers make a decision (to buy from us)? And how do we do that with integrity and not feel slimy? It can feel like we’re manipulating their ability to choose but we may also be helping them make the best decision. Which side of the fence are you sitting? Master manipulator or benevolent guide? Links Join the Happy Pricing course Join the conversation live
Wed, June 05, 2024
Proposals and pricing
Proposal shouldn't contain any surprises – particularly not the price.The role of a proposal is to replay everything you've already spoken to your client about. In the previous episode, Carlos and Ben were joined by Hazel Martin, an executive and personal coach, who had a question about proposals and prices. She'd already had a couple of calls with the client and sent them a proposal. Her third call was coming up and she knew that they'd want to negotiate on price. She was thinking that maybe she should have priced higher. Another feature of Helen's situation was that she was selling an existing product, a leadership program that had already been developed. She passionately believes in the power of the program and has delivered it to other companies. Therefore this also touches on selling a product as well as value-based selling. So Ben and Carlos were eager to get her back on the show to explore these questions a bit more deeply with her: How do I price more confidently when proposal writing? How do I price a product? If you're asking yourself similar questions then this episode is for you. Links Join the Happy Pricing course Join the conversation live
Wed, May 22, 2024
Pricing by value, not time
Beccie D'Cuhna is the founder of CourageLab and empowers leaders and teams to have courageous conversations, through mediation, training and coaching. She took part in our first Happy Pricing course and says her business is now looking very different these days to the extent that she believes she's now pricing by value not time. She talks with Carlos and Ben about how she's got to this point and what she needed to learn or unlearn. Links Join the Happy Pricing course Join the conversation live
Wed, May 08, 2024
More income, less effort
Jim Ralley helps with the design and strategy of learning experiences for NGOs, governments and corporate clients. Last year he tried to find the right balance between work, parenting and time for himself… and failed. This year will be different. He has a solid plan. He has the support of his family, colleagues, and clients and a strong desire not to get into that situation again. He says that "to be a good parent and partner, I have to find work that doesn't exhaust me, and that I don't mentally take home with me." His aim is to work less which means having to raise his prices. On this episode, Carlos and Ben hear about how Jim has accomplished this (by nearly tripling his daily rate) and what more he can do by pricing his work differently. If you're in a position where you need to change the way you work so you can give space to other important things in your life then you'll get something from this conversation. Links Join the Happy Pricing course Join the conversation live
Wed, April 24, 2024
Personal brand and pricing
What’s the value of a personal brand? When building your reputation, what would this reputation do for you? What financial value does it have? What’s it worth to get on the radar of the people that you’d love to collaborate with? How much time and effort should you invest in building your personal brand? You could write a book to build a personal brand, and so what are the costs of writing it? What are the benefits in terms of royalties? What are the benefits in terms of it being a marketing vehicle for your company? What’s the value of the work of someone helping you build a personal brand? What is the relative value of your work compared to a 5 page website, a tweet or an illustration? On this episode, Carlos speaks with Anne Miltenburg, founder of Brand the Change, about her own experiences of pricing a brand. Links Connect with Anne via LinkedIn Join the Happy Pricing course Join the conversation live
Wed, April 10, 2024
"I'm nearly doubling my prices"
If you want to increase your prices, it has to start with an understanding of your value. Not just the mechanical tasks you perform, but the trust, familiarity, and unique value you bring to your clients. This can lead to a dramatic increase in price, which gets closer to reflecting the true value of the service provided. Mark Steadman is a podcast consultant who works with individuals contemplating their “second mountain”. He helps people use their voice to achieve change, as he believes the voice is the most persuasive tool we have. In this episode, Carlos, Ben, and Mark discuss increasing price so it aligns more closely with the real value you provide. Links Join the Happy Pricing course Join the conversation live
Wed, March 27, 2024
The purpose of being polarising
Being polarising in your pricing and your offering is way more impactful than trying to appeal to the masses. But it means being clear about who you want to work with and focusing tightly on them. This not only helps attract the right customers who’ll find value in your offerings, but it saves your time and theirs, by allowing those who aren’t a good fit to self-select themselves out of the process early on. In this episode, Carlos and Ben explore how having a clear, distinct stance can help find the right clients, along with how pricing sends a signal that attracts those we want to work with, and repels those that aren’t right for us. Join the Happy Pricing course
Wed, March 13, 2024
Selling what you do differently
Changing the way you present your product can greatly affect how people see its value and price. When you’re faced with a sticky patch, lowering prices or costs might not be the right thing to do. So instead, what might happen if you took those constraints and reframed the experience for the customer? In this episode, Carlos and Ben discuss the importance of creativity and perception in selling products and services, using the example of a restaurant owner. They explore how changing the presentation and packaging – not the product itself – can influence customers' perception of value. They also touch on the impact of physical and emotional exhaustion on an entrepreneur's ability to think creatively, emphasising the need for self-compassion and reframing one's perspective during challenging times. Links Join the Happy Pricing course Join the conversation live Why we need to end things – Episode 127 of the Happy Entrepreneur podcast, with Ben
Wed, February 28, 2024
How do you sell a book for €560?
Pricing expertise is not determined by traditional models. It’s about understanding the value and aligning incentives with the customer. By challenging conventional pricing logic and considering factors like value and skin-in-the-game, you can better convey the true worth of your products or services. This week's guests are Claus Raasted and Filip Fučić. Claus is an “overpaid rockstar consultant” who specialises in areas like innovation, change management, leadership, public speaking, and marketing. He is also an author of 37 books. Filip is a pricing mentor who helps people charge more for the value they provide. He has a background in marketing and has made mistakes in pricing his expertise, which led him to write a book on the topic. Together, they discuss “pricing logics” and the importance of aligning incentives when pricing expert services. They challenge traditional pricing models and advocate for pricing expertise based on value rather than per unit or hour. Links Join the Happy Pricing course Join the conversation live
Wed, February 14, 2024
Pricing theory vs practice
Pricing is not just about setting a number, but understanding the value that your product or service brings to your customers. It's about considering the problem you solve and the positive change you can create for your clients. Pricing should be based on a deep understanding of your target audience and what they are willing to pay for the value you provide. We need to overcome the stories and discomfort that can hold us back from pricing our offerings appropriately. By connecting to our motivations and being confident in the value we offer, we can navigate the leap from current pricing to charging what we’re truly worth. Links Join the Happy Pricing course Join the conversation live
Wed, January 24, 2024
5 lessons on how not to do pricing from Elon Musk
When we approach pricing without research or strategy, we end up with uncertainty, ineffective communication, and demonstrating a lack of understanding our customers’ needs. We need an outside-in approach that starts with researching the value customers get from our product or service. By focusing on the customer and their needs, we can develop a pricing strategy that is clear, confident, and effectively communicated. This week, Carlos and Ben discuss a blog post on the perceived mistakes Elon Musk made in the wake of his attempt to charge $20 per Twitter account that wanted to receive a blue Verified badge. What Musk saw was resistance, ambivalence, and ultimately the need to make quick pivots. Pricing solely based on internal needs and without considering customer value can lead to missed opportunities and an ineffective pricing strategy, so what lessons can be drawn, not only from Musk’s pricing strategy, but from the value he placed on buying the company to begin with? Links Join the Happy Pricing course Join the conversation live Five lessons on how not to do pricing from Elon Musk’s Twitter
Wed, January 17, 2024
Are you apologetic about your prices?
If you raise an invoice for a client and then apologise for the amount, this creates uncertainty and can even damage your business. To avoid this, we need to shift our perspective and approach pricing with confidence. We do this by understanding our own stories about money, remembering the subjectivity of it, and creating a sense of certainty around what we’re delivering. The more we apologise for our prices, the more we project our own stories about value and create unnecessary doubt and discomfort. This can lead to misunderstandings, strained relationships with clients, and missed opportunities. But by proactively communicating and setting clear expectations from the beginning, we can build stronger relationships with our clients and feel more empowered in our pricing discussions.
Wed, January 03, 2024
What's the value of your personal brand?
Many of us can end up feeling like a commodity, just like everyone else in our industry. But by understanding our unique story, experiences, and values, we can differentiate ourselves and stand out from the crowd. In this episode, Carlos and Ben discuss delving into our own stories of change, and communicating it clearly and effectively to our audience. Undifferentiated businesses just become another name in a sea of competitors. They get overlooked because people can’t see anything special or different about what we offer. But by embracing our personal brand and sharing our story, we can attract the right clients who appreciate our expertise and are willing to pay for it. Links Join the Happy Pricing course Join the conversation live
Wed, December 13, 2023
How your personality affects your pricing
Our personality has a significant impact on how we approach pricing and value. According to the Enneagram, each personality type brings its own unique perspective and challenges when it comes to setting prices for our products or services. Understanding our own Enneagram type and the tendencies that come with it can help us navigate pricing challenges with more ease. It allows us to recognise any apologies or resistance we may have towards pricing and find ways to align our worth with fair exchange. By exploring our Enneagram type and its relationship to pricing, we can develop a healthier and more confident approach to setting prices that reflects our value and supports our financial well-being. Kieran Morris is a musician who works with community choirs and helps people connect their voice with their message. Annie Hanekom has been working in the field of people dynamics for the past 20 years, focusing on how people relate to each other and themselves. Both guests have a passion for exploring the Enneagram and its impact on various aspects of life, including pricing and money. Links Join the Happy Pricing course Join the conversation live
Wed, November 29, 2023
How to have mature money conversations
Having mature conversations around money can be tricky and uncomfortable, and can lead to ineffective communication and missed opportunities. We need to approach money conversations with an open mind and a willingness to understand different perspectives. This starts with separating personal emotions from the conversation and focusing on the client's needs and the value you bring. Avoiding money conversations can lead to misunderstandings, missed opportunities, and a lack of clarity in pricing and value. In this episode, Carlos and Ben are joined by money coach Krystle McGilvery to explore the importance of understanding clients’ needs, conducting research, and approaching the conversation from a business perspective rather than an emotional one. Links Making an offer they can’t refuse – Happy Pricing livestream, with Jon Osborne Connect with Krystle via LinkedIn Join the Happy Pricing course Join the conversation live
Wed, November 15, 2023
Write a proposal they can’t refuse
You're about to draft a proposal, and you're wondering whether it will convince the client. Have you included everything necessary? You've poured hours into creating detailed, lengthy proposals in the past, only to face rejection. You've tried mirroring successful proposals from others, but the results are disappointing. In this episode, Carlos and Ben explore the pitfalls of overcomplicating proposals and how simplicity can be your greatest asset. They uncover why proposals aren't the heavy lifting tools we often perceive them to be in the sales process. Most importantly, they discuss how to navigate these challenges with ease and confidence.
Wed, November 01, 2023
Understanding money stories and building confidence
Many of us struggle with discomfort and negative emotions when discussing money and setting prices for our work. But by understanding and addressing our underlying money stories and beliefs, we can have more positive and confident conversations about money and pricing. If we don't address our money stories and the emotions they bring up, we may continue to struggle with setting fair prices, feeling confident in our worth, and having effective conversations about money. This can hinder our ability to earn what we deserve and negatively impact our overall wellbeing. In this conversation, Krystle joins Ben and Carlos to discuss ways we can reflect on our own money stories and beliefs, identify discomfort, fears, or judgments that arise when discussing money, and the connection between money stories and pricing decisions. Links Join the Happy Pricing course Join the conversation live
Wed, October 18, 2023
How do you price an event that changes lives?
Pricing an event that brings about life-changing experiences is complex and subjective. We need to consider the transformative value and outcomes of the event we’re creating, as well as the emotional commitment and investment participants are making in themselves. The price of a product with an emergent outcome should reflect the unique nature of the experience and the story behind it, rather than simply focusing on content or financial returns. It means reducing the uncertainty for potential participants so we can help them understand the value they’ll receive. Links Join the Happy Pricing course Join the conversation live Happy Startup Summercamp
Wed, October 04, 2023
How much should you cost during a cost-of-living crisis?
In times of economic uncertainty, we need to have open, constructive, and compassionate conversations with clients and prospects. Understanding their worries and fears, and providing reassurance and clarity can help build trust and create value in the relationship. By focusing on the basics – like understanding clients' motivations and needs – and continuously improving our own skills and practices, we can navigate through difficult times and continue to be valuable and useful in our work. Links Join the Happy Pricing course Join the conversation live
Wed, September 20, 2023
What to Do When People Say You’re Too Expensive
Understanding your value can help you price more confidently, without being brash. When we understand our target audience and what they need, we can create a perception of value that resonates with them. But we need to be prepared to handle rejection and understand that a "no" isn’t necessarily the end of the conversation. If we don't communicate the value of our work properly, we undervalue it and risk missing out on valuable client relationships. This week, Carlos is joined by Frances and Simon from the Better Bolder Braver community, who help coaches market their work with more ease. That involves having tricky conversations around pricing, and being able to clearly communicate the value they bring. This episode is perfect for you if you Want to learn how to confidently set prices Are interested in understanding how to convey your work’s value to potential clients Need advice on dealing with rejection and building confidence in pricing conversations Links Join the Happy Pricing course Join the conversation live Pricing Philosophy – Derek Sivers Better Bolder Braver Never Split the Difference: Negotiating as if Your Life Depended on it , by Chris Voss and Tahl Raz Chris Voss Teaches the Art of Negotiation – Masterclass
Wed, September 06, 2023
Find Your Ideal Client by Telling Your Story
Storytelling is a powerful tool in marketing and selling. It lets us connect with our audience on a deeper level and create a sense of trust and authenticity. By understanding our own journey and values, as well as those of our ideal customers, we can craft compelling stories that resonate with them and help them see the value in what we offer. It's not just about selling a product or service, but about creating a meaningful experience that meets the needs and desires of our audience. This week, Ben’s on holiday so Carlos is joined by Better Bolder Braver co-founder, Frances Khalastchi. She emphasises the importance of understanding our own journeys and values, as well as those of our ideal customers, in crafting compelling stories that resonate with our audience and create a sense of trust and authenticity. Links Connect with Frances via LinkedIn Better Bolder Braver – marketing community for coaches Join the Happy Pricing course Join the conversation live
Wed, August 23, 2023
What Bruce Lee can teach us about how to conquer our tricky money stories
If you’ve ever felt guilty spending money on things that are important to you, the solution is to work on understanding and acknowledging your money stories, and find ways to flow around them. Here are the steps we need to take: Become aware of our money stories. Practice acknowledging and accepting them. Find ways to flow around them, rather than letting them block us. Unaddressed money stories will continue to get in our way, affecting our ability to sell and spend effectively. But by working on them, we can find more freedom and ease in our relationship with money. What beliefs and perceptions do you have around money? How do they affect your ability to sell and spend? Start by becoming aware of them, and practice acknowledging and accepting them. And always remember, we can find ways to flow around them, just like water. Links Join the Happy Pricing course Join the conversation live Work with Source: Realise big ideas, organise for emergence and work artfully with money, by Tom Nixon “Be like water” – Bruce Lee quote Peripheral Thinking – Ben’s podcast
Wed, August 09, 2023
How can I put up my prices?
If you’re struggling to charge enough for your work, you're not alone. The solution is simple: raise your prices. It's the easiest way to increase your earnings. But lots of us face resistance and doubt when it comes to actually doing it. To tackle this problem, we need to first understand our beliefs around pricing and money. We may have limiting beliefs that are holding us back from charging what we're truly worth. To overcome these beliefs and raise our prices, we can follow these steps: Conduct a mental audit of our clients and identify who values our work the most. Decide on a new price point and communicate it confidently to our clients. Practice talking about money in a non-threatening setting to build our confidence. Keep in mind that price is a signal and can attract new, higher-paying clients. If we don't tackle our pricing hang-ups, we risk staying trapped at our current earnings level and missing out on opportunities for growth and investment in our work. Start today, by conducting a mental audit of your clients and identifying who values your work the most. Then, consider raising your prices and communicating the change confidently to your clients. Remember, the more we talk about money, the easier it becomes. Links Join the Happy Pricing course Join the conversation live
Wed, July 26, 2023
Playing with pricing
Bringing play and experimentation into pricing can lead to more positive and valuable conversations with clients. Approaching pricing with ease helps us create a space for dialogue, rather than showing up with tension or desperation. This is an invitation to challenge your limiting beliefs and fears around pricing, and to start experimenting to see what unexpected results you can achieve. Links Join the Happy Pricing course Join the conversation live
Wed, July 12, 2023
Pricing and positioning
Pricing is not just a number, but a signal that sends messages to customers about the value, safety, and reassurance of what we offer. Positioning plays a crucial role in how pricing is perceived, and it’s important to be confident in the value we offer and not negotiate with ourselves by offering discounts. In this episode, Carlos and Ben discuss how pricing and positioning overlap, and how we can inject a little experimentation and play into our pricing. Links Join the Happy Pricing course Join the conversation live
Wed, June 28, 2023
Should you put your prices on your website?
How comfortable are you talking about money? That, along with what you sell and who you want to sell it to will dictate whether you want to – or should – put prices on your website. As ever, the answer is never black-and-white, so Ben and Carlos are joined by community leader Frances Khalastchi to unpack the options. Links The Vision 20/20 programme Join the Happy Pricing course Connect with Frances via LinkedIn Better Bolder Braver – the coaches’ marketing community
Wed, June 14, 2023
How to price well without talking about money
Pricing well means understanding the value of the work to the customer, and being willing to have open conversations sensitivity. We need to tell a story about the value of the work and the expertise of the person or business providing it, rather than just focusing on time and materials. It also means being willing to challenge our own assumptions about what is a fair price and being open to exploration and dialogue with the customer to arrive at a mutually satisfactory agreement. Links Pricing Design Work & Creativity - Stop Charging Hourly Join the Happy Pricing course
Wed, May 31, 2023
How to you remove the guesswork from your pricing
When pricing feels like guesswork, that uncertainty can damage the trust we’re hoping to build with our clients. If we explore the change we’re helping our clients achieve, we can gain a better understanding of what’s important to them and tailor our pricing accordingly. Pricing is a product of what we sell and how we sell it, and being curious is key to understanding the value of our work and helping clients make informed decisions. Links The Vision 20/20 programme Join the Happy Pricing course
Wed, May 17, 2023
Money goals that excite you
There are four layers of goals: the crazy layer, the control layer, the concrete layer, and the everyday. To work effectively towards a goal you need to break it down into output you can control and create steps you can build upon. As entrepreneurs, we have to do things every day to get to our goals. But if “more money” is your goal, what will more money buy you? Carlos and Ben explore setting financial goals that do more than help us meet our core needs, but actually excite us to do our best work. Links Will it Make the Boat Go Faster? Olympic-Winning Strategies for Everyday Success , by Harriet Beveridge & Ben Hunt-Davis The Web of Meaning, with Jeremy Lent – Episode 1of Peripheral Thinking, with Ben Johnson How to triple your income, lose it, and get it back again – Episode 34 of the Happy Pricing podcast, with David Papa Join the Happy Pricing course
Wed, May 03, 2023
How to triple your income, lose it, and get it back again
Having clarity about what you want and being intentional about it can lead to opportunities you might not expect. But while it's important to focus on increasing income, it's vital to be mindful of how you spend it. David Papa learned this when, despite earning more income than ever before, he stopped paying attention to his spending and avoided looking at his income directly in the face. As a result, he ended up almost back where he started before tripling his income. David shares his story with Carlos, and reveals how he started getting back on track. Links Connect with David via LinkedIn Join the Happy Pricing course
Wed, April 19, 2023
The power of testimonials
Testimonials aren’t about peacocking or making the business look good, but about providing value to prospective clients and sharing existing clients’ transformations. In this discussion, B2B business consultant Ian Edwards explores the importance of asking intentional questions to understand the client's metrics for success, the need for quality over quantity of testimonials, and the role of testimonials in bridging the decision gap between promised results and trust in the service provider. Links Connect with Ian via LinkedIn Join the Happy Pricing course
Wed, April 05, 2023
Why aren’t people buying your services?
In this live coaching session, Carlos and Ben attempt to diagnose why people aren't buying Wolfgang’s higher-ticket coaching offering. Wolfgang has been running his “basecamp” events and workshops to help people find their contribution and space in the world. While these events have been well-attended, Wolfgang has struggled to sell his higher-ticket coaching services and retreats to attendees. Is Wolfgang’s price the problem, or does he need to reposition himself as a coach instead of a facilitator? There’s also some concern about the perception that he doesn't need the money. Links The Second Mountain: The Quest for a Moral Life , by David Brooks Join the Happy Pricing course
Wed, March 22, 2023
The four pricing methods
As entrepreneurs, we need to empower customers and create a story that justifies an emotional response. In this episode, Carlos and Ben discuss the four pricing methods from The Personal MBA : cost-based, market-based, return-based, and value-based pricing. They emphasise the importance of understanding the story the buyer is telling themselves and tapping into their motivations and needs. Links The Personal MBA: A World-Class Business Education in a Single Volume , by Josh Kaufman Join the Happy Pricing course
Wed, March 08, 2023
What's your money ceiling and how do you raise it?
We often have a certain number in our minds that we feel is an appropriate amount to charge, which can limit them from charging more. In this episode, Carlos and Ben discuss the concept of a money ceiling and how individuals can raise it. They explore the fear of rejection that comes with raising prices and the internal challenge of what is fair to charge. Ultimately, they hope to encourage you to explore higher prices and feel empowered to charge what you believe your services are worth. Links Join the Happy Pricing course
Wed, February 22, 2023
What are you selling and what are your customers buying?
There’s a mismatch between what people are selling and what customers are actually buying. People focus on Facebook ads and leads, rather than on creating conversations. Simon and Frances, co-founders of the Better Bolder Braver community, help coaches who feel overwhelmed or disconnected from marketing advice. They use the five levels of awareness to help people understand their journey when buying something or joining a community. Links Join the Happy Pricing course Better Bolder Braver
Wed, February 08, 2023
Who are you helping?
“The reason that your customers or clients buy anything is because they are trying to change something. It's never about the ‘what’ of what you do – whether that's coaching, whether that's websites… whatever it might be – there is some other change that a customer or client is trying to make, and that's the reason that they're buying the thing that you provide.” The first step to figuring out how you can help people is to understand who you’re helping. In this episode, Carlos and Ben raise a series of questions to help you figure out who you want to bring with you on a journey of change. This episode was recorded live with an audience joining in via chat. Questions to consider What is the state you’re helping people to transition from, and to? What do you want them to know? How do we want them to feel? What do we want them to do? Am I continuing to work with the ideal person? Links Join the Happy Pricing course
Wed, January 25, 2023
How do you set positive intentions around money?
"Be clear on the things that you want to make possible in your life, and understand that money is a facilitator - it's not an end in itself." Carlos and Ben are joined by Beccie D’Cunha and Frances Khalastchi to discuss the role money plays in setting positive intentions. Links Join the next Happy Pricing cohort Better Bolder Braver Courage Lab Needs & Feelings
Wed, January 05, 2022
Why do you need more money?
In this first episode of season 5 we talk about setting strong intentions about money to help us be more intentional about our prices. As Ben says, money in and of itself is a poor motivator for most. What motivates us are the things that we can do with the money. Money is a facilitator for acquiring and experiencing these things. The question is then what are these things for you? What would you do with more money? Are those things really important to you? This leads us to talk about how you decide what the things you really want are. Sometimes we can be sidetracked by what friends, family and society say are the things we should buy. But they're not always that things that we need. And so we explore the idea of understanding our own needs better and how we can use that understanding to decide what we really want. Once we know what we really want we can then work out what that means in terms of money we need and therefore how much we need to price our work for to get that money.
Tue, December 14, 2021
Be easier to buy
On this episode of Waking up to Money we want to help you help your customers buy YOU. We all love choice. It makes us feel in control. When it comes to pricing, providing options gives your customers some control. But too many options will confuse them. And unrelated options will confuse them even more. The more confused they are the more likely they'll not buy from you. When it comes to pricing if you're able to provide a manageable number of options that make sense you're going to increase the likelihood that people will buy from you. To help you think about how to present your options we talk about the 5 Ts: Turnaround - pricing based on how quickly the customer needs the work done Terms - pricing based on how any instalments they want to pay in Team - pricing based on who does the work Tailor - pricing based on how personalised the service or product is Teach - pricing based on whether it's done for you or done by you (and how you learn) If you can, never give your customer just ONE price. Let them choose from a range of prices and empower them to make the right decision for themselves.
Wed, December 01, 2021
Pricing based on value
Getting paid what your worth isn’t about accurately itemising your time. It takes acknowledging what your customer says they want, understanding what they need, articulating why they need it and helping them figure out how valuable that is to them. The same outcome can be of different value to different people. And it can be of different value to the same person at different times. Pricing based on value is art that requires skill and an understanding of the science. On this episode Ben and I cap off our 3 part mini-series by talking about authentic and ethical Value-Based Pricing… or what we like to call the Happy Pricing way.
Wed, November 24, 2021
You're pricing your projects wrong
Most projects a priced based on people's time. The proposal, as well as containing lots of justification for choosing you as a supplier, is essentially a shopping list of project member's time and how much their hourly rates are. This is helpful in terms of being transparent and making feel the client is informed. But IS it really helpful? More information doesn't necessarily mean more power. Unless your client is empowered to make a choice and believe that the price you're giving them is worth paying then it doesn't matter how granular and transparent you are about your pricing it won't help them. In the end you're providing a number and your client needs to able to make sense of that number and explain it to others. Also, when it comes to doing work that includes some inherent uncertainty, such as creative work or developing an innovative app, then defining price based on time isn't necessarily helpful either. More than anything clients want certainty about what they're going to get and what they're going to spend in order to get it. And they want to avoid any regrets about how much they spent (i.e. they want to feel good about spending more money). They want definite outcomes without feeling like they've been conned. They want solutions and good feelings. How does you project pricing help create these?
Tue, November 23, 2021
The pros and cons of selling yourself by the hour
Earlier in the week I found this article on Medium entitled "What to charge as a freelancer: does value-based pricing live up to the hype?" You can read it here - https://medium.com/free-code-camp/what-to-charge-as-a-freelancer-does-value-based-pricing-live-up-to-the-hype-1af1d4d88ef7 It's a really interesting take on the challenges freelancers face when it comes to pricing. What Benek talks about applies to most people in the service industry, particularly if you do work that can't always be easily packaged and defined. Creative work. In summary, Benek says hourly pricing is the easiest way to go because everyone does it. Customers understand it and there's a level of clarity that comes from "you pay for what you use". However, this can also mean that you either count every minute you work or you lose out by doing some work for free. Hourly based pricing can also put you into the commoditised category of "selling time". Everyone can sell time and so it's easy for customers to go for the cheapest rate. Another challenge with hourly based pricing is there are only so many hours in the day and so your income has a natural ceiling. What are the alternatives? Project based and value based. But they also have their pros and cons. Listen to this episode as Ben and I explore the idea of "selling our time". It's the first part for a 3 episode series. The next episode will be about pricing projects.
Fri, November 19, 2021
Make money while you sleep
Do you want to make money while you sleep? That's the promise of passive income. And anyone who doesn't make as much money as they'd like selling their time is attracted to this promise. According to Tim Ferris’ Four Hour Work Week passive income brings promise of freedom, adventure, ease and wealth. But is this always the case. Does pursuing a passive income model actually bring less you happiness because you then become a slave to click funnels and spreadsheets? And, given your interest in pricing well, what does it take to find the right price for a passive income product? On this episode of Waking Up To Money B en and I covered a couple of core ideas. Firstly, what's your intention for starting your business? Is it purely about creating a passive income business? If so, your only metric of success will be money and your focus will be about maximising passive revenue. However, if your intention is to maximise impact then creating a product or course that many people can get value from without the need for your time might be the best way to go. And so passive income could be your revenue model of choice. But in this latter case you'll be focused on the impact and not just the income. Pricing well is about understanding what your customers consider valuable. This requires you to be in conversation with them. But this doesn't have to be just one-to-one. This can be done at scale through your marketing. Particularly through social media. Then the job of marketing isn't to just tell people that you have something to sell. But to engage with people you want to work with and listen to what they think is valuable. You can then set your price accordingly. And to get to the right price you need to iterate by putting a price out there and then changing it (or your target audience or your offering) if no one is buying.
Tue, November 02, 2021
Are you pricing your worth?
Pricing for serviced based businesses is such a dark art and many agency owners, coaches and consultants have had to learn it the hard way. But why should it be so hard? There should be more courses about this stuff out there teaching things like: What is a good price? How do you know what your competition is charging? Do you charge by day, by the person or by value? How do you write/build a proposal? What split is there between services and product? Premium and mass market? How does that work across territories? Do you charge differently online vs offline? These are the words of David McQueen, executive coach and public speaker, that he shared on LinkedIn over the summer. We thought it would be a great opportunity to talk about what such a course could do for people like him and what is it that might be stopping people from seeking out this kind of help. David McQueen is a speaker, coach and advisor who is passionate about leadership. Over the last thirty years he has honed his experience in leadership. This includes leading teams in his early career, starting his own companies, sitting on the advisory board of companies across all sectors and his work with organizations across the private, public and third sector. David is the host of Leadership Decoded, a podcast focusing on leadership communication, and is also writing his first book on the power of leadership coaching.
Thu, October 07, 2021
Pricing, marketing and selling - how does it all fit together?
Focussing on pricing in isolation isn't going to help you get customers. If you don't align how you price with how you market you can waste a lot of time selling to the wrong people. On this episode we talk about how pricing, marketing and selling can fit together and why that's important. Here's a summary of the points that we cover: pricing well is only one component of getting people to buy from you how do you think about the journey of your customer to you? how clearly do you understand who you’re selling to? don’t waste time selling to skeptics sell to the converted and reserve your energy for the people who are aligned talk about the good feelings and solutions people are looking for not only when you sell but also when you market connect the what of what you do to the good feelings and solutions don’t try to persuade people to do things they don’t want to do understand your customer through dialogue (through useful conversations on social media) selling isn’t a battle of wills with a single winner selling isn’t about needing to be liked recognise that it doesn’t matter how good at selling you are if the person isn’t ready to buy selling to the right people is key to running an effortless business how does our relationship and need for money influence our interaction with customers? the extent we feel the need for money can undermine how we talk about the value of what we do how can the exchange of money be a sign of a commitment to the outcome? always price from the outside in as the most important person in the conversation is the customer and their perspective pricing well is about having a choice about whether you want to work with a customer or not how do some businesses sell the same thing for so much more? timing and context can have an influence on the value of the same product or service value is subjective and when someone buys something from you there are many motivations that influence whether they buy price is an important signal that links to an emotional driver in the buyer how does the love for your work influence its perceived value how do you make sure that you’re not over-pricing or short changing yourself? don’t let your customers benchmark your prices invest your time in understanding your customers motivations to help you define value the lower limit is define by what you need to live the life you want to live most people are worth more than they think and their customers will agree
Tue, September 14, 2021
How can I earn more without talking about money?
On this episode we tackle the challenge of trying to earn more when you don't like talking about money. The bad news is that it's impossible. The good news is that while you can't get away from ultimately talking about money you can start by talking about clarity and commitment. What is it that more money will help you do? It isn't about the money in itself it's about what it can help you to achieve. Picture a vision of the change and impact you want to make and be clear about how the money will help. You then need to commit to making that change. Not only intellectually but you've also got to feel like it's something that you really want to happen. You don't need to know exactly how it's going to happen but you need to be motivated enough to push through whatever obstacles come your way to make it happen. Once you're clear and committed you'll be more likely to have the difficult money conversations and understand how to talk about money in away that helps you move towards your intentions. We also share some thoughts on how to get clear and committed.
Wed, July 14, 2021
Pricing a new product or service
On this episode of Waking up to Money we were joined by Nicola Forristal, a People Talent specialist. She has a service that weaves the threads of her corporate career as a People & Talent professional, her therapeutic career and her passion for energy psychology and medicine into a programme that will support and help people languishing in the workplace. Given the current situation where employees are being invited to come back to work she believes employers could make this transition more energising and less scary by focussing on their wellbeing. She has developed workshops to address this specific issue as well as ongoing wellbeing needs but is trying to work out how best to price these offerings. With the support of Ben Johnson we explore how she can go about tackling this challenge and offer strategies for her to price that is powerful, authentic and allows everyone to share in the value.
Tue, May 18, 2021
Being bold and being easier to buy
Welcome to the new season of Waking up to Money. This episode is the first one after our break following the second Happy Pricing course we ran in April. We learned a lot during that course. Not only about how to run it even better but also about the challenges and struggles you face. During this episode we share some of our learnings from the last cohort and also talk about why it's important to make yourself easier to buy (and how).
Wed, April 21, 2021
What we've learned from our pricing mistakes...
Ben and I talk about what we've learned about pricing by launching a course about pricing.
Wed, April 14, 2021
Are you reassuringly expensive?
While you may feel like selling something is difficult remember that buying is difficult too. Our customers are always conscious about whether they’re making the right decisions. When choosing a product or service they’re always looking for signals that reassure them that they’re making a safe choice. One of those signals is the price. It’s an unfortunate rule of thumb but most people think that high price equals high quality and low price equals low quality. That doesn’t mean that just by doubling your prices customers will come flocking. What you need to do is understand what is going through your customers mind and which signals they are sensitive to. It could be that one of them is price. We don’t advocate over-charging in order to con a customer. We just want you to be aware that the price you set shouldn’t be about what you think the value is, but what your customer thinks… and how that price makes them feel. During this episode we talk to this at length and answer some questions from our live viewers. These include: Should I charge wonder 450€, 750€ or 900€ for my course? When selling my course should I set a lower price in order to get more customers? Is pricing a service harder than pricing a product?
Wed, April 07, 2021
Your money ceiling
In the episode we talk about the invisible ceiling we create around money. This ceiling limits how much we’re willing to charge for the work we do and therefore how much money we’re wiling to receive. In reality this ceiling doesn’t exist and is of our own making. We talk about two of the things that contribute to this ceiling: Focussing too much on the work we do and less about the outcomes our clients are wanting to achieve Anchoring are prices to a fictitious number of our own creation that we rationalise as the market rate or a fair margin. If you’d like to learn how to get rid of these constraints and how to price more confidently then make sure to listen.
Wed, March 31, 2021
Overcoming imposter syndrome
On this episode of Waking up to Money we're joined by Sarah and Saskia. They run different types of businesses but had similar challenges: how to be more confident about pricing. Sarah runs a service based business and she was sending out proposals without first talking to her client about money. Ben says that proposals never sell. Proposals are there to reassure the customer they’re getting what they asked for. Your job is to have money conversations upfront so that you can confidently put the right numbers in your proposal and your customer is in the right place to receive them. The pressure isn’t on the proposal, the joy is in the conversation. Saskia runs courses and an online community. Because there’s so much free content on the Internet she gets a scary feeling when thinking about putting a price to her work. It’s the same feeling she got when she first did abseiling and jumped off the edge. Ben reminded her to think from her customers perspective and the solutions and good feelings they’re looking for. There’s value in curating content so that people waste less time making progress. There’s also value feeling part of a community when you’re trying to do things on your own. Having conversations with potential customers and framing the value of what you do against something more expensive (i.e. 1 to 1 coaching) then helps them get more comfortable with the prices you offer. You can find out more about these stories and hear all the feedback we gave Sarah and Saskia by listening to this episode.
Wed, March 24, 2021
Gratitude and abundance
In this episode we talk to the energy and mindset we bring to our pricing and selling conversations. When we feel like money is slipping through our fingers we can get into a scarcity mindset that then creates the feeling of fear. When we feel fear we're less able to see opportunity and less open to exploring new possibilities. Happy Pricing is all about exploring opportunities, particularly with your clients. Your job is to explore where the real value is in the work that you do for them and then price accordingly. In this episode we talk about gratitude and abundance versus resentment and scarcity. We also talk about how we can be transparent with our clients about how we price and also how to think about imposter syndrome. If you're confident in your abilities and the change that you can make in your clients' lives but are unsure what price to put on your work then this episode (and our Happy Pricing course) is for you!
Wed, March 17, 2021
The 3 toxic myths about money
Our emotional relationship to money impacts how we work with it. And so we're never going to develop our ability to price or sell if we don't also develop our personal attitude to money. On this episode we talk about the 3 toxic myths about money from the book the Soul of Money: There is never enough More is better That's just the way it is We're also joined by listener David Holloway to talk through how our past relationship to money affects us as entrepreneurs.
Wed, March 10, 2021
What are your customers actually buying from you?
In this episode we talk about the reasons why customers really buy from you. It isn't about the things (i.e. coaching, training, website widget) but something else. These something elses are usually rooted in two categories: good feelings and solutions. Listen to learn more. We're also joined by Mark Steadman, founder of the podcasting platform Podiant, who shares his situation of launching a new offering and we talk about the role of trust in creating this new thing. If you'd like to learn more about how to price and sell more authentically and more powerfully (without feeling slimy) then check out our website .
S1 E8 · Wed, March 03, 2021
The price in your mind doesn't matter
When we first thought about the the title of this episode we thought it would be "When pricing goes wrong". What we ended up talking about was when "selling" goes wrong. Amongst other things we cover the role of timing, alignment and understanding your client's budget. The key message we want to get across is that Happy Pricing is about creating more ease in your business. And that the price in your head isn't important. It's about the price in your customer's head and finding out what that is.
Wed, February 24, 2021
How do you price a new high value product or service?
In this episode we talk about what you need to do find out the price people will pay for your high value product/service.
Wed, February 17, 2021
What if your clients knew you were on a pricing course?
On our webinars we invite people to ask their questions about how to price better with their clients. Some people might think that this might put their clients off. We don't! Listen to this episode to learn why.
Wed, February 10, 2021
How to stop feeling awkward when it comes to talking about price
On this episode Ben and Carlos talk about how we can feel more confident when having conversations about price.
Wed, February 03, 2021
Money stories
On this episode Carlos and Ben talk about how their own money stories limited their growth and how these stories fit in with the rest of what they teach on the Happy Pricing course.
Fri, December 04, 2020
Getting out of your own way
In this episode we talk to Beccie, a facilitator and mediator from Brighton. We learned that Beccie knows her work is valuable and important. She excels at it and it’s also her mission. It’s her contribution to making the world a better place. We also learned that her background is in the charity sector and has a lot of charity clients/contacts. This makes her feel guilty about having high prices. As her main motivation has always been to make the world a better place so she can feel guilty about having high prices because some people/organisations wouldn’t be able to afford her. She’s got a generous heart and doesn’t want to appear greedy. But she also knows that giving away her work cheaply is compromising her ability to offer it ever more widely. Mindset is a huge part of pricing well. There are many stories between us and the prices we might charge. Like “I don’t want to be greedy”. Etc… On the call Ben helps Beccie begin to see a route through. Some organisations can pay more, so should pay more. And if they do, it means those people and organisations who have less can be supported too, which is important to her. Making the shift from pricing nervously to pricing well, happily, joyfully, is a choice. It’s a choice based on clarity and intention as much as skills and tactics.
Fri, November 27, 2020
What do you do when everyone around you is reducing their prices or giving stuff away for free?
We want to help you protect (and hopefully increase) what you earn during these challenging times. We know you're doing purposeful work (otherwise you wouldn't be a Happy Startup follower). And so we need YOUR BUSINESS to still be around when we get to the other side of this crisis. So we're going to try and share what we know about Happy Pricing to help you weather the storm. For this first Happy Pricing Clinic we've invited Lina Patel , a facilitator and collaboration designer from Melbourne, to join us so we can answer her question live: "What do you do when everyone around you is reducing their prices or giving stuff away for free?" If this question resonates or if you have your own questions then please check us out at http://happypricing.co
S1 E1 · Wed, November 04, 2020
Making more profit by saying no
This podcast is for freelancers and founders doing purposeful work that want to have creative and confident conversations about pricing with their customers. We'll be sharing our thoughts as well as the recording from our Happy Pricing Clinics. If you're interested to learn more then go over to http://happypricing.co and download the FREE manifesto and Happy Pricing Canvas,
Trailer · Wed, November 04, 2020
Welcome to the Happy Pricing Podcast
This podcast is for freelancers and founders doing purposeful work that want to have creative and confident conversations about pricing with their customers. We'll be sharing our thoughts as well as the recording from our Happy Pricing Clinics. If you're interested to learn more then go over to our website and download the FREE manifesto and Happy Pricing Canvas,
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