A few years ago, I priced my first private coaching offer at €100.
Not because that’s what it was worth.
But because I was scared. Scared to charge. Scared to be judged. Scared to believe people would actually pay me.
If I could go back and shake that version of me, I would.
Because here’s what I know now:
Pricing is about the value you create and the boundaries you set.
It took me too long to learn that the right clients don’t pay you for your time.
They pay you for your clarity. Your certainty. Your ability to collapse their timeline.
Today, I price differently. Strategically. Powerfully.
And it changed everything – my business, my energy, and my client base.
This week, I’m giving you the framework I use to price my offers – so you can start attracting the right clients without second-guessing yourself ever again.
Quote of the Week
“You must learn to sell yourself before you can sell anything else.”
Napoleon Hill
The Cost of Underpricing
Women our age undercharge for one simple reason:
We spent decades being paid what someone else decided we were worth. So we tie our fees to:
- Our old salary brackets
- Our imposter syndrome
- Our fear of “who do I think I am?”
The ugly truth is:
If you don’t respect your own pricing, neither will your clients.
And if you build a business on resentment pricing?
- You overwork.
- You underdeliver.
- You burn out – and worse, you start doubting yourself.
Remember: Price is a filter.
The ONE THING I say to ALL my consulting clients – pricing needs to follow one simple rule: I can’t regret working with you and you can’t regret working with me.
The wrong people will say you’re expensive.
The right people will say, “Where do I pay?”
As a friend of mine used to say, pay peanuts, and you get monkeys.
My Framework for Pricing with Power
Here’s exactly how I teach my clients to price – and how I price my own offers today:
1. Define Your Offer First
- What problem do you solve?
- What does the scope include?
- What access level do clients get?
- What’s the timeline or deliverables?
Clear scope = Clear value = Clear pricing.
2. Understand Pricing Models
Depending on your offer and ideal client, you might price:
- Hourly (simple but caps income)
- Project-based (fixed fee for outcome – ideal)
- Retainer-based (ongoing support and access)
- Value-based (price linked to ROI you create)
Project-based or value-based pricing is where serious business owners play.
3. Benchmark Industry Rates
- Research other consultants’ rates in your niche.
- Understand the standard ranges (€250/hour to €1000+/hour).
- Adjust based on outcomes, speed, and experience, not time.
Competence should never be confused with cheapness.
4. Calculate Your Minimum Viable Rate
Or as Linda Evangelista said – your “get out of bed price.”
- What’s your annual target?
- How many real billable hours will you work?
- Build in taxes, expenses, downtime.
Example:
If you want €150K/year and 1,000 billable hours → you need at least €150/hour minimum – but you should price higher for profit.
5. Assess Client Willingness and Value Created
Clients don’t care how many hours you work.
They care how much you save, make, or solve for them.
Price your offer based on:
- Size and urgency of the pain point
- The cost of NOT solving it
- Speed and ease of working with you
Real story:
My client R was recently asked for a proposal by a large multinational. The project had little to do with her core business – but she was the perfect person to deliver it.
She initially wanted to propose €20K – to “make it easy to say yes.”
We had two calls.
I explained that €20K would not be taken seriously. I may or may not have said, “Are you having a f*cking laugh?” but I’ll let the transcripts remain sealed.
Instead, I helped her frame three tiers – €35K, €75K, and €100K+. We structured each price around deliverables, speed, and simplicity.
She walked away with a €110K consulting contract – 5 months, no fixed hours, full autonomy.
That’s the power of pricing with authority.
6. Use Anchoring and Tiered Offers
Create structured choices:
- Basic (lower deliverables)
- Signature (full scope)
- Premium (higher speed, VIP access)
Most clients will pick the middle tier – if you design it intentionally.
7. Lower Scope Before Lowering Price
If clients hesitate:
- Don’t discount your work.
- Shrink the project scope instead.
“Maybe we start with Phase 1 for €X” keeps your perceived value intact.
8. Test, Validate, Adjust
Pricing is alive.
Test it. Talk to real humans.
If people say “what a bargain” – raise it.
If people say “that’s premium but worth it” – perfect.
If you hear crickets – reposition, not slash your price.
9. Bonus Tip: Price Based on Energy, Not Fear
If you’re excited about a project, you might flex a little.
If the client gives you stress hives? Triple the price. Or walk away.
Money is an exchange of energy. Guard yours fiercely.
Own It
Every time you underprice, you overwork.
Every time you undercharge, you undervalue yourself.
Every time you sell yourself short, you build a business you resent instead of a business that lights you up.
Pricing is not about greed.
It’s about energy, excellence, and aligned exchange.
The right clients want to pay you well.
The question is – are you ready to let them?
Your Weekly Action Plan: Set Your Power Price
- List the transformation your service provides (not just features)
- Write down what that outcome is truly worth to your client
- Set a price that makes you a little nervous (that’s your growth edge)
- Say it out loud. Practice it. Own it.
You don’t need permission.
You just need certainty.
Because pricing with power?
That’s how you change your business – and your life.
See you next Wednesday.
Claudia
