How to price a client-friendly retainer

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.LinksJoin the Happy Pricing courseJoin the conversation live

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.LinksJoin the Happy Pricing courseJoin the conversation live

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.LinksJoin the Happy Pricing courseJoin the conversation live

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.LinksJoin the Happy Pricing courseJoin the conversation live

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.LinksJoin the Happy Pricing courseJoin the conversation live

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.LinksTom’s websiteMaptioWork With SourceJoin the Happy Pricing courseJoin the conversation live

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.LinksJoin the Happy Pricing courseJoin the conversation live

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.LinksJoin the Happy Pricing courseJoin the conversation liveMatthew’s retreat

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?LinksJoin the Happy Pricing courseJoin the conversation live

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.LinksJoin the Happy Pricing courseJoin the conversation live