How to Communicate the Value of Your Consulting Fees

Architects: Do yourself a favor. Raise your next proposal fee by 20%. Seriously. Just try it. Leave everything else the same: - Same scope. - Same process. - Same client type. See what happens. Do you still get the same pushback? Do they still say “You’re too expensive”? Do you still lose the project? Or does something surprising happen? Like: → They respond to the price in the exact same way. → They still push back - but for the same reasons. → You win it anyway. Here’s what I’ve seen happen over and over again: It’s not the number that’s killing your proposal. It’s the narrative around it. Because when you clearly communicate the value you provide (how your design reduces risk, improves project outcomes, and solves the client’s most painful problems) your fee becomes a fraction of the benefit. But when you just list deliverables and cross your fingers? You’re just another line item to cut. Your value is not self-evident. You have to show it. So before you tweak the number down… Try tweaking the communication up. Then increase your fee and see what changes. 🙂

In the past 8 years, I have helped consultants go from struggling to sell their expertise to closing 6 figure deals… In the beginning most consultants had this problem: Their offer wasn’t clear enough to make a decision maker say “yes”. Here’s how I help my clients fix their offer (this has generated 10+ figures in revenue for them) 1. Solve one painful problem. If your offer tries to do everything, it won’t stand out. Pick one problem your ideal client needs to fix NOW. NOT later, NOT someday, but NOW. 2. Make the outcome clear. No one pays for effort. They pay for results. Instead of saying, “I help with leadership development,” say:  “I help companies retain top talent and reduce hiring costs by 30%.” 3. Tie your offer to money, risk, or time. Businesses spend money to make money, cut risks, or save time. If your offer doesn’t connect to one of these, it will feel like a "nice to have" instead of a “must have”. 4. Price based on value, not effort. If your solution helps a company make or save $100K, charging $5K isn’t just underpricing, it’s making them doubt the quality. Charge in proportion to the impact. 15-20% of the ROI you bring in is a good start. 5. Test it in the real world. A great offer isn’t built in isolation. It’s refined through conversations, objections, and feedback from actual buyers. Get in front of decision makers, listen, and adjust. Most consultants spend months guessing. The ones who win get into the market, adjust fast, and keep improving. Stop guessing and start landing 6-figure deals → https://lnkd.in/ezG6qcTQ

Your price isn’t the problem. Your positioning is. If you’ve ever heard “I can’t afford it” on a sales call, let me ask you something: Was it really about the money? Or did they simply not see the value? Here’s the hard truth: Pricing doesn’t exist in a vacuum. It’s a reflection of how your offer is positioned. Are you solving a pressing, urgent problem? Are you standing out from competitors in a way that’s undeniable? Are you making them believe, “This is the BEST investment I can make right now”? If the answer to any of those is no, you don’t have a pricing problem, you have a positioning problem. 𝗜’𝘃𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗶𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻: → A course creator struggling to sell a $200 offer until we clarified their promise and tightened their messaging. → A consultant charging $5K who jumped to $15K after they shifted their focus to highlight the ROI for their clients. → A service provider doubling their monthly retainers after we repositioned their work as essential, not optional. And no, it doesn’t take a magic formula. It takes aligning your messaging, offer, and delivery so perfectly with your audience’s needs that price becomes an afterthought. Because here’s the truth: When your positioning is clear, compelling, and targeted, the right clients will move mountains to work with you. They won’t ask, “Why does it cost so much?” They’ll ask, “How soon can we start?” Want to learn how to reposition your offer for premium clients and consistent conversions? Stop fighting on price. Start winning with positioning.

Ever had a potential client say, “That’s too expensive”? It stings. But sometimes, it’s not about the price—it’s about how you position the value. I once worked with a consultant who kept getting price objections. She was charging $2,000 for a strategy session, but prospects kept pushing back. We looked deeper and asked a simple question: "What is the financial impact of this strategy for your clients?" Her response? “Well, most of my clients see a $50K revenue increase.” That was the problem. She was pricing based on her time, not her clients’ results. Instead of charging $2,000 for a session, she repositioned it as: 💡 A roadmap to unlock $50K in new revenue 💡 A strategy that reduces wasted marketing spend by 20% 💡 A business growth accelerator, not just a consultation The result? Higher pricing. More confident sales. Fewer objections. Clients compare price to value received, not hours worked. If you're constantly defending your price, ask yourself: Am I selling effort—or impact? P.S. This week, I dropped episode 126 with Peter Giordano III on pricing strategy, and today at noon, we're going live in the chat. Save your seat in the comments.