You said your price out loud and immediately wished you'd said something lower

You're not charging for time. You're charging for the gap you close.

Everything’s going well on the discovery call.

They’re nodding. Engaged. You can already see the three things you’d work on together. You know you can help them.

Then you say your price.

“$150 per session.”

And immediately, your brain does that thing.

Is that too much? Other coaches charge $100. Should I have said $125? They’re so quiet. Why are they so quiet?

The prospect is quiet because they’re checking their calendar.

But you’re already spiraling.

I coached in 2024. Every. Single. Sales call. I was seeing the same pattern.

I’d say my price and immediately start backpedaling in my head. Not out loud, of course. But inside? Full panic mode.

That’s more than a therapist charges. That’s more than most people make in a day. Who am I to—

Stop.

Here’s what I eventually figured out:

Your brain will always do hourly math. And hourly math will always make you feel like a fraud.

$200 for an hour of your time? That’s more than a lawyer.

$300? That’s what some people make in a full day.

So you price yourself at $100. You tell yourself it’s “accessible.” Tell yourself you’ll raise it later when you’re more experienced, more confident, more... something.

Six months pass.

You’re exhausted. Booked solid. Can’t afford to hire help. And when someone asks about a package? You’re apologizing before you even say the number.

“It’s $900 for three months, but we can break it up, or if that’s too much, we could just do monthly, or—”

Ooof, do you see what I mean?

The shift that changed everything for me was this:

You’re not charging for your time. You’re charging for the gap you close.

That client who spent two years spinning their wheels on “which niche” and “what to post”? The one who finally got clarity, launched their offer, and made $5K in 60 days?

You didn’t give them an hour.

You gave them the momentum they couldn’t create alone. You permitted them to stop second-guessing. You gave them two years back.

The client who was drowning in imposter syndrome, who couldn’t show up online without spiraling? Three months later, they were visible, confident, and signing clients.

You didn’t sell them twelve sessions.

You sold them the version of themselves they’ve been trying to become, for years.

That’s what they’re paying for.

Not your calendar time, but the transformation.

What actually works:

Stop pricing sessions. Start pricing outcomes.

Ask yourself: What does a client typically get after working with me?

Do they launch the thing they’ve been stalling on for months? Or get clarity that saves them a year of spinning? Build confidence that changes how they show up everywhere?

What would they pay to have that happen in three months instead of continuing to struggle alone?

That’s your floor. Not your ceiling. Your floor.

Your package price should make you slightly uncomfortable when you say it out loud. Not fake-it-till-you-make-it uncomfortable, but uncomfortable enough that you have to actually believe in what you do to not flinch.

If you can say your price and feel nothing? You’re undercharging.

Try this on your next call:

Don’t say “$150 per session.”

Say: “The investment for three months is $3,500.”

Then say nothing else.

No justifying. No “that breaks down to...” No “but we can work something out if...”

Just say it. Then wait.

You know what happens most of the time?

They say yes.

Not because you got more confident. Not because you’re suddenly more experienced.

Because you finally started pricing like someone who believes the work matters.

This pricing trap is one of many operational issues I’m documenting while building Pineway, a platform for coaches who are tired of operational chaos. More on that soon.

Next, we’ll chat about why coaches lose 13 weeks a year to admin work (and what I’m doing about it).

Subscribe to follow along as I share what I’m learning and building.

Debbie
Co-founder, Pineway