The Happy Pricing Podcast The Happy Startup School

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.
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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?
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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.
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Beccie D'Cuhna is the founder of CourageLab and empowers leaders and teams to have courageous conversations, through mediation, training and coaching.
She took part in our first Happy Pricing course and says her business is now looking very different these days to the extent that she believes she's now pricing by value not time.
She talks with Carlos and Ben about how she's got to this point and what she needed to learn or unlearn.
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Jim Ralley helps with the design and strategy of learning experiences for NGOs, governments and corporate clients. Last year he tried to find the right balance between work, parenting and time for himself… and failed.
This year will be different. He has a solid plan. He has the support of his family, colleagues, and clients and a strong desire not to get into that situation again.
He says that "to be a good parent and partner, I have to find work that doesn't exhaust me, and that I don't mentally take home with me."
His aim is to work less which means having to raise his prices.
On this episode, Carlos and Ben hear about how Jim has accomplished this (by nearly tripling his daily rate) and what more he can do by pricing his work differently.
If you're in a position where you need to change the way you work so you can give space to other important things in your life then you'll get something from this conversation.
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