Before the topic, I have a quick question, if you don’t mind answering. It’s mainly because we’re thinking of putting together an intensive, meaning a 1-3 day virtual event (no travel costs involved) to help you make huge movement in a particular area of your business.
If something like that interests you, can you take literally sixty seconds to answer two questions about it?
Click here to take the survey.
Thank you! Now for the main attraction.
Should you publish your prices on your website?
This question has come up so many times over many years, and it came up again recently.
The argument against publishing your price is you don’t want to scare people off. I don’t think that’s a solid reason for not publishing.
Instead, I think publishing your prices hinges on one thing: respect.
Do you have a specific situation that doesn’t seem to match? Let’s discuss it!
With gratitude,
Mark
Heart of Business, Inc.
Every act of business can be an act of love.
44 Responses
Thank you for sharing
100%!! I actually just website I open that doesn’t put the price out there.
gratitude. 🙂
oooops! should say I CLOSE a website that doesn’t have available price list for me.
Kimberly- I was wondering… Here’s to hilarious internet typos!
You’re welcome, Pam
Hi Mark
I agree that I’d rather know someone’s price for from their website and I don’t publish mine there! I schedule that initial call to see if I’d be interested in working with someone and if I’d be a good coach for them. If that aligns, I’m willing to work for a lower fee to make it possible to work together if that’s the blocking issue for the client. In essence, I have a sliding scale based on financial need, and I need some clients to pay the full fee in order to sustain things.
Hi Lynne- I’m so curious why you don’t post that on your site, then, especially since you want it for yourself? “This is my fee, and I have some sliding scale spots available.”
This was very helpful to me as a visual artist. I have had strong advice on both sides.
But this rationale makes sense on multiple levels. Thank you.
Dawn- you are so welcome! So glad it resonates.
Hi Mark, it’s nice to see you so relaxed and smiling in this video! In the moment video can be more spontaneous than planned ones and I found myself more connected with you and your content this way. It would be great to see more of that relaxed and friendly energy in your videos 🙂
I agree with your video message. I publish my rates on my coaching website.
I also agree with this comment, your energy here is bright and joyful, and I love to see it! You seem mostly lit up, except for the heavy sigh moment (what’s the message you are wanting to convey with that sigh? I’ve seen you do it before, and it’s not clear). I would love to see more dog-walk-&-talk videos, as long as you’re enjoying our company. Maybe leave behind the heavy-sigh vibe, so we don’t spoil your walk? We don’t need it to follow you and receive your heartfelt teachings, which are uplifting by nature for us heart-based entrepreneurs.
By the way, Mark, blue is a great color on you. It brings out your eyes!
Hi Amy- thanks! I appreciate your kind words. Sometimes, I just sigh. I’m okay with breathing. And more walk and talk videos for sure- I’ve been enjoying them! I almost made one this morning, but it was too cold to take my gloves off. 🙂
Thank you for this! It does make sense and I’m willing to give it a go. I also am loving your short walking videos that feel warm, welcoming, and valuable all at once!
Publishing your price out of respect feels very heart centered, it felt very right to me when I heard you say it.
Agreed! Publish your price. It turns people away from the get go. I will immediately leave someone’s website if I don’t see a price. No second chances. Gone.
I don’t want to talk to you or hear about all the reasons why you can’t publish your prices (too many options, too much variability). There are no excuses in today’s world to not publish prices.
Natalie- you and I are on the same page. 🙂
Hi, Mark-
I strongly agree with your take on publishing prices. And there’s another point that relates to respect: self-respect.
My publishing my price is a very real, concrete way of showing prospective customers that I believe my work offers real value and has real worth.
It’s also a way of demonstrating self-confidence
These, with the respect that you describe, help create trust, which is essential to attracting clients.
Doug- great point! So, so true.
I agree. As a consumer, if I don’t see a price, I sometimes have a suspicion that the company is trying to “get what they can” based on my income level or level of interest. The airlines are beginning to price tickets to individuals online based on their buying history, rather than offering the same thing to everyone at the same time. The possibility that this may be happening in some form is a turn-off.
Your way is authentic, respectful and considerate.
Carol- I know- the same with Amazon… so infuriating to not be able to see what’s true…
I’ve always felt very strongly about this, I would never contact someone who doesn’t publish their price because I feel manipulated from the get go as I rush around their site attempting to find the price, or pretending to sign up for something just in the hope I might eventually find out!
Basically I am not going to spend energy, time and attention working out whether the person is a good fit for me if I cannot afford them in the first place.
On my therapy sites over the years I’ve always published the price and also stated that concessions are available. To get those, a conversation is needed.
Sarah- yes- me, too. “To get those, a conversation is needed.”
Mark,
The perfect topic!
I have never published my rates but I am revising my freelance-copywriting website to include rates at this very moment.
Self-employed people have determined that they should be “paid what they are worth.” Consequently, it is impossible to discuss money without ruffling their feathers and inadvertently challenging their self-respect.
When I hire a marketing freelancer, I’m generally looking to pay in the hundreds because it takes a lot of butt-in-chair for me to earn thousands. However, many service providers have rates that start in the thousands.
I simply wouldn’t phone them in the first place had I known.
By the way, working for me isn’t such a bad deal. My deadlines can be a month out if I trust the person to do the work. I pay invoices to one-person practices within 24 hours of receipt, invariably. And I’m a nice person.
Awhile back I was looking for someone to review my website and bring it up to current, ever-changing WordPress standards and optimal performance on phones and such. I figured it would take a few hours. But the people I spoke to wanted to tell me if my niche meets their standards and apparently start from scratch so they could charge $5,000.
No way.
-d
Diana- I so hear you! And so glad you are publishing your prices, too. 🙂
To add to my previous comment:
Never work with a friend who doesn’t list prices upfront. Even if you “know, like and trust” them.
It’s so awkward when you find out their rates are crazy high.
-d
As a health club owner, we publish our prices, a practice is somewhat unusual in this industry. We want our prospective members to know up front what costs are associated with various membership packages. It can be reassuring to them to know we won’t put them in a situation where they feel like they have to haggle and I feel like it sets a tone of trust from the start.
Janet- I love it! So beautiful.
Yes! Thanks for saying it. I thought I was going nuts for a while, with so many businesses hiding prices. I thought, what has the world come to? I’m glad I’m not the only one.
And I have to say I was horrified at someone making meaning out of your sigh. Wow. I felt it was unkind to be dissecting your every breath.
So, please people, don’t do that?
Hi Margaret- no, you are not the only one! And don’t worry, I’m okay with sighing, and I’m okay with people responding to my sighing. 🙂
Thanks for laying this out so perfectly, Mark. I completely agree! Posting my prices has always felt better and more transparent to me. Not posting them feels like a needless block to open communication with prospective clients.
Susan- “a needless block”- absolutely!
Yes, totally! Nothing more frustrating than searching all over for non-existent prices, or finding out, after much hassle, that the price is way out of my range. Like you said – manipulative, thinking they know better than you, what you can afford.
THANK YOU!!!!
Katia- so frustrating! And such a potential waste of time. You are so welcome!
Mark, this was so right on time to me today. Thank you!
So glad, Richard! Thanks for taking the time to let me know.
Thank you for this topic again, Mark. It allowed me to celebrate how well following your recommendation has worked out for me.
I put my prices up visibly on my online scheduling page so that people can’t miss it.
What that means is that if someone goes ahead and books a free assessment conversation about working with me, they know what it would cost. I no longer have this squirming feeling that someone might be shocked or shamed when I tell them how much I charge.
It also allowed me to do something consciously for the less resourced. Rather than quoting less to anybody who evokes that squirming feeling in me (which wasn’t sustainable), I offer to support one client (at a time) at 30% less than my standard prices and keep a waiting list for that option.
Transparency is helpful an respectful all round and I so appreciate you for this teaching which really works well for my business and my heart.
Dorota- yes! So glad you are in agreement. Transparency always wins.
I work with corporate leaders and provide customized leadership consulting/coaching programs for situations where there is high risk and high reward. All of these require value-based pricing. A series of discussions co-creates the program and then a mutually agreed upon price is set based on the complexity, expertise, resources and time requirements. I am currently considering offering a fixed price program with clear deliverables. It would make sense to publish a programs fixed price or hourly rates. The bigger question is are you pricing your work correctly then make the decision to publish or not. Here is a good resources to help you decide on your pricing model https://harpoonapp.com/blog/post/hybrid-approach-pricing
Marie- I hear you. What I usually recommend for our clients who do what you do- create custom programs for organizational clients, is to quote a range. “We work with clients from two months to a full year, and our most basic work can cost $5000, and for a full-in-depth program clients have paid $120,000.” Or what have you. Or create mini-scenarios of what costs *might* look like. It’s always appreciated.
Hey everyone! I wanted you all to know that through a terrible snafu I didn’t know any of these comments were here until today! I wasn’t consciously ignoring you, honest! Going through to reply, now… 🙂
This website was… how do you say it? Relevant!! Finally, I’ve found something which helped me. Many thanks!
Hi Mark,
Thank you for pointing that out. Many freelancers are afraid of showing their prices because if it’s too low, they think the client would consider them bad quality. Too high, the client may run away even though they are a good fit. So, they decide to simply not publish those prices. While the concern is somewhat legitimate, they need to be more confident about it. When they put the prices up, there is basically no room for speculation on either side of the deal. Everyone knows what the service costs, at least for that moment. The freelancer has every right to raise the prices in the future (I mean, when they see that they are worth more) and give their clients a month-or-so notice about the price change. That is business, and every respectful client will understand that.
Hi Mark,
I am new to you and am so glad to receive all this great information. I had so many people tell me over the years that ‘people in our town are just price shopping, so don’t put your rates on your website’ – so I didn’t. After hearing your words I am changing that over the next couple days and wonder how many great clients I’ve missed out on by not having them published, as I was not intending to seem secretive or manipulating. When I think about it, I suspect that part of my non-disclosure was also about my not really feeling worthy of receiving the rate that I chose, if that makes sense.
Melissa- so glad it was helpful! It really is such a good and clean feeling to treat our clients as adults.