Embracing Your Value: A Coach’s Guide to Confident Pricing
I’ve coached and spoken with hundreds of coaches, and one thing that always comes up—without fail—is the question of what to charge for their services. Every. Single. Time.
It’s funny, because you don’t really hear about this issue in other professions. For example, you never go to the dentist and hear them apologize for the cost of filling a tooth. You don’t stand at the reception desk and offer objections about the price, or say you’ll "think about it" and get back to them later after you consult with your partner. Sure, you might grumble a little about the cost, but ultimately, you cough up the dough and leave with your freshly filled tooth.
But here’s the thing: Imagine if that dentist charged you a really low fee. Would you expect top-notch care or the same level of professionalism? Probably not. If the price was too low, you might wonder if they’re even qualified or if they’re using substandard materials. The same applies to coaching. If you charge too little, you may start to subconsciously undervalue your service, and your clients might question the quality of the transformation you’re offering.
So why, as coaches, do we get stuck in this headspace where we struggle to price our services with confidence? Why do we undervalue ourselves or hesitate to ask for what we deserve? (Did the word deserve just make you squirm a little? I get it!)
Let me share some thoughts from my journey, and hopefully, they’ll help you too.
Mindset Shift #1: Your Price Isn’t About You
One of the biggest shifts I had around pricing was this: Your price has nothing to do with your value. It has everything to do with the value your client places on the transformation they’ll experience by working with you.
Take a moment to let that sink in.
Let’s go back to the dentist example. Imagine you have a throbbing toothache. You call the dentist, they tell you how much it’ll cost to get it filled, and you—painfully—agree. Even though it feels pricey for just one tooth, you’re willing to pay because you want that pain to stop. Maybe you’d even pay more just to make it go away sooner! But what you don’t do is question the dentist’s abilities or integrity. You’re not worried about their worth as a professional. Your decision is purely based on your pain and what you’re willing to pay to end it.
The lightbulb moment here? Realizing that pricing has nothing to do with you or your personal worth. It’s about the transformation you provide and what your clients are willing to invest to get out of their own pain and into a better place.
Mindset Shift #2: Doubt in Your Abilities? Get Practicing!
Another reason coaches hesitate to charge what they deserve is doubt in their own abilities. It’s all too easy to think, “I need more training, I need more experience, I’m not ready.” But guess what? You don’t become confident by wishing you were. You become confident by practicing.
Think about the dentist again. How do you think they learned to fill teeth? They didn’t read a book about it or chat about it at dental conventions. Nope. They practiced. They put on some gloves and dove right in. Sure, maybe their first fillings weren’t perfect, but they kept at it until they became confident not just in doing the work, but also in charging for it.
If you don’t feel confident in your ability, then you’ll never ask for the money you deserve. You’ve got to put in the work, whether that’s additional training, getting your own coach, or swapping sessions with a fellow coach. Confidence comes from taking action, not just hoping it will magically appear.
Mindset Shift #3: Stop Basing Your Rates on Hours
Here’s another trap many coaches fall into: charging by the hour. When you’re coaching someone, they’re not just paying for an hour of your time. They’re paying for the transformation they’ll experience, which includes everything that happens in between sessions, all the work they’ll put in, and the insights and breakthroughs that occur. They’re investing in the process, not just the clock ticking away during a 60-minute session.
Coaching is a commitment to change—and that requires more than just “time.” It’s important to remind clients of this when discussing your services. Coaching is a long-term investment in themselves, not an hour-by-hour quick fix.
This is exactly why coaches need coaches. It’s not just about setting and achieving goals; it’s about understanding firsthand the experience of investing in yourself. After all, how can you ask clients to invest in their own growth if you’re not doing it for yourself?
Mindset Shift #4: You Set the Price, You Choose the Client
At the end of the day, your pricing is up to you. Maybe you want to coach high-powered CEOs, or maybe you want to work with stay-at-home moms. The truth is, money means different things to different people, and the value of transformation varies too.
You get to choose the clients who align with your coaching and whose commitment to transformation matches the price you place on that transformation. You can experiment, raise or lower your fees, and adjust your pricing based on where you are in your evolution as a coach. The more you practice the money conversation, the easier it gets—and the more confident you’ll feel about the transformation you offer being worth every penny.
In Summary: How to Get Confident About Your Pricing
To summarize, here are the key steps you can take if you're ready to confidently charge what you're truly worth:
Get coaching: Build your confidence in your abilities so that doubt doesn’t drive your pricing.
Hire a coach: When you understand what it means to invest in yourself, it’ll be easier to ask others to do the same.
Get clear on who you serve: Know your ideal client and understand the value they place on the transformation they’ll experience.
Set clear boundaries: When you’re confident in your value and your services, your clients will be too. Be firm in your pricing conversations.
Remember: The price you charge is a reflection of the value the client places on their own investment in themselves, not your personal worth.
Are you ready to step into your worth and start charging with confidence? Let’s talk! Drop a comment below or DM me if you’re ready to take the next step in your coaching journey.
