Companion to "Saying the Number," "Raising Prices Without Losing the Base," and "Discount Discipline."
For what you've described, it's $X. That includes the standard visit and the walkthrough, and I can be there Thursday morning or Friday afternoon. Which works better?
Plain statement, inclusions, availability, then stop. The silence after your price is not an emergency; it is a person doing arithmetic. Practice the number out loud, alone, ten times. Never negotiate against yourself: the number can move when the client moves it, and it is about scope, never the rate.
It might be. I can't speak to what was included there. What I quoted covers the full job, itemized, so there's nothing added on later. If the number doesn't work, I can tell you exactly what comes out to shrink it.
Of course. I'll hold the quote through Friday. If anything in it is unclear, ask me now and I'll answer straight.
I can't move the rate, but here's what I can do. If we drop the add-on from the first visit, the number comes to $X minus that piece, and we can add it back any time.
Give scope, not rate. A smaller yes instead of a cheaper yes. Below your floor the answer is no, and no is a complete quote.
Subject: Your pricing, starting [date]
Hi [name], quick heads-up before anything changes. Starting [date], my rate for your service goes to $X.
Over the last [period] I've invested in [skill, equipment, turnaround], and the results you've seen reflect that. This change keeps the quality where you've come to expect it.
No action needed to continue as scheduled. If the new number doesn't work for you, tell me and I'll make your exit easy, no awkwardness. Thanks for being a client.
| Raise | You can lose | And revenue holds |
|---|---|---|
| 10% | about 9% of clients | 1 in 11 |
| 20% | about 17% of clients | 1 in 6 |
| 30% | about 23% of clients | 1 in 4 |
| 40% | about 29% of clients | 1 in 3 |
Announce in advance, in writing, with a reason and a date. My raise trigger: (booked out weeks ahead / costs moved / got better / dread specific clients / a year passed). Notice date:
| Never cut the rate without removing scope or time; the number and the work travel together | ☐ |
| Every discount has a name and an end date. No name, no date, no discount | ☐ |
| Discount only from a defensible full price; a discount from a guess is just a smaller guess | ☐ |
| The discount is the last question you answer, never the first offer you make | ☐ |
| Before you discount, try the cheaper moves: smaller scope, longer timeline, payment terms | ☐ |