Dear Reader,
As many of you know, in the fall of 2020 I chose to make a dramatic change to coaching services: I implemented the Stretch Method for my pricing.
All my “Coaches of Yester-year” collectively gasped, I am quite sure, for what I did flew in the face of everything they had taught (and told) me was “right.”
It flew in the face of the idea that high-ticket pricing meant that clients would value the work more and therefore see much better results for themselves.
(Which, truth be told, I think was them trying to justify their own high-ticket pricing, by suggesting that, if I paid them a lot of money, then I would surely see bigger and better results. Which, by the way, was not true for me. It was maybe true for some, but it certainly was not for all of us who shelled out the Big Bucks.)
It also flew in the face of the idea that somehow my own self-worth was connected to my pricing.
(It’s not. Not by a long shot.)
And it flew in the face of the sales technique that I was taught wherein you “name your price and then zip your lips and wait for the client to object and you be ready to fight those objections!”
(Yeah, not really my jam.)
You see, even though I didn’t make the formal change to my fee structure until 2020, I had been wanting to do it for eons. But I was fighting the Ghosts of Coaches Past who occupied a rather large portion of my brain…and it kept me from following what I knew instinctively was true:
That people value the work we do together no matter what they pay for it. Why? Because we do good freakin’ work together! Plain and simple.
That the “results” my clients achieve / feel / experience is not tied to the price they pay. How could they be, really? I mean, can you even put a price on “results?!?”
That my own self-worth is in no way tied to the fees I charge. It just isn’t. Period.
That talking about money and the fees you charge with prospective clients is actually the basis of a really solid relationship. This whole “state your price and then shut your mouth” stuff I was taught is bumpkus and no way to begin an actual relationship based on mutual respect, give and take, and excellent communication. (Nor is being “armed” to “fight” their objections, either, by the way.)
No. The voices of the Ghosts of Coaches Past did not align with my own Voice, and I’ve no regrets about my decision to implement the Stretch Method – an invitation to a potential client to lean into a price range, feel what price feels “easy” in their body, and then stretch beyond that just a bit because it’s in the Stretch that I believe we grow.
Feel “easy” to invest $300 or $500 or $900 a month in coaching? Then invest $325 or $550 or $930 (for example.) Take what feels easy and move slightly beyond it. It’s an invitation to stay on your Growing Edge.
And a few months from now, does it start to feel “easy” to be investing that $325 or $550 or $930? Then simply increase what you’re paying just a bit more. Stretch, again, to continue to stay on your Growing Edge.
Stretching does not mean breaking the bank. Stretching means feeling what’s “easy” and moving slightly beyond it so you stay in the momentum of growth. And staying in the momentum of growth means, well, more growth shall follow. It’s inevitable, I believe.
And so, as we wind up 2023, I am clear that this pricing method is here to stay. My business partner and I are using it in our collaborative projects, too, and it’s been so well-received. Clients are surprised by it – delightfully so – and the feedback we’ve received has solidified any doubts we may have had.
“I feel seen and heard in a way that I never have been before, and this was just our sales convo!”
“Y’all are keeping me on my toes already – your pricing method is super-cool and makes me wonder what’s possible for my business.”
“You two: Always one step ahead of the zeitgeist.”
Now, this entire concept may not be aligned with you or your business – there is no “one size fits all,” after all. But maybe there’s another way in your own work that you can create the opportunity for both you and your clients to be on your own Growth Edges.
I mean, in full transparency, it was a huge, huge, huge shift for me to release my $900 per month coaching fee schedule and move into this model. Talk about STRETCH!
But maybe that’s not the way that feels good to you to be on your Growth Edge.
So, what could be?
Could it be that you decide to no longer work Fridays because it feels a bit “edgy” to end your work week at 4 pm on a Thursday?
Could it be that you take 3 weeks of summer holidays vs 2?
Could it be that you release your accountant with whom you have a less-than-optimal relationship and stretch your comfort zone to interview some other folks that may be a better fit, even though it scares you a bit to have to peel back the curtain of your finances to yet another new person?
Whatever it is for you, I invite you to consider stepping forward, firmly, onto your growing edge.
The view is spectacular.
And the company? Top-notch, if I do say so myself.
To your growth,
Rebecca
Find more of Rebecca’s articles on Plaid or connect with her on LinkedIn.
