Laura Meyer is a multi seven figure business owner who sits on company boards in exchange for equity and runs her advisory business on part time hours while raising three kids. She started consulting at $150 an hour, and today she has no hourly rate at all! In this episode, Laura breaks down how to price consulting services for outcomes instead of hours, the difference between a painkiller offer and a vitamin offer, and what her students actually charge for advisory work, from $2,500 to over $20,000 a month. If you're moving from corporate to consulting and your rate still feels tied to your last salary band, this episode is for you. Timeline Summary [0:48] – Laura shares how she set her first consulting rate at $150 an hour by breaking down a full time salary [1:08] – Going from $150 an hour to no hourly rate at all, with board seats, equity, and a seven figure business [1:52] – The real shift: realizing clients pay for your thinking, not your doing [2:59] – Why corporate conditioning makes experienced professionals price themselves by the hour [4:53] – Painkiller vs. vitamin offers and why only one makes money, saves money, or saves time in 30 days [5:19] – Why executive coaching often lands as a vitamin offer and gets pushed back when fires start [7:37] – How adding one metric turns brand strategy from a vitamin into a painkiller offer [8:36] – Moving the needle just 5 to 10% creates ROI that lasts years beyond the engagement [9:14] – Real advisory pricing ranges, from $2,500 a month up to $20,000 a month [9:55] – How to talk about outcomes without promising results by building a hypothesis with the client [10:53] – The high ticket, low volume model: three clients at $5,000 a month equals $15,000 in monthly revenue [12:22] – Working 60 hours with 3 or 4 clients? Cut delivery time to make room for business development [14:15] – The friend who told Laura $2,500 a month was too low, and how premium buyers think about price [16:23] – Why expert visibility and thought leadership content protect you from price competition [19:12] – Alan Weiss, Million Dollar Consultant, and the $1 million a year on call retainer [19:39] – Why this is the first time in your career that you get to set the number 5 Key Takeaways Price for Outcomes, Not Hours — Clients don't buy your time, they buy results and judgment. Laura calls it trading income for outcomes instead of time for money.Build a Painkiller Offer — If your offer doesn't make money, save money, or save time within the first 30 days, it's probably a vitamin. Vitamins get cut when a company has fires to put out.Add a Metric to Raise Your Value — Brand strategy or coaching on its own is a nice to have. Tie it to a measurable outcome like a campaign rollout and it becomes a painkiller you can charge more for.Use a Hypothesis, Not a Promise — You can't guarantee results, but you can map the likely upside with the client. Ask if getting half of it would still be a solid return on your fee.Visibility Protects Your Pricing — The best kept secret has a hard time raising rates. Consistent expert content within your circles of influence brings clients to you at premium prices. Links & Resources Expert Pricing Tool — https://expertpricingtool.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_campaign=expert_freedom_show&utm_content=EP003 Enjoyed This Episode? If Laura's jump from $150 an hour to board seats made you rethink your own rate, send this episode to the expert in your life who's too good to stay where she is much longer. Then follow The Expert Freedom Show and leave a rating and review so more women making the move from corporate to consulting can find it.
