Deciding whether or not to list your pricing on your website? Consider this. 

If you’re a service provider like a coach, healer, or creative entrepreneur, the debate whether or not to list your prices on your website is a heated one! Some say yes, definitely list your prices. Others say no, don’t list them.

So how do you know if you should list your prices or not? 

There are a variety of factors to consider when answering this question. In this article, I’ll share them with you so you can make a confident decision about whether or not to list your prices on your website.

3 reasons to list your pricing on your website

As you consider whether or not to list your prices on your website, consider the following information.

1) Most prospective clients DO want to see pricing on a website. 

As a business owner, you want to provide prospective clients with the information they need, at the time they need it, to support them in making the best decision for them.

When website visitors were asked what site information matters most to them, what scored the highest? You guessed it: Price.

It’s the goal of your website to make the path to working with you as simple and clear as possible. When you share your price, you’re making it easier by giving prospective clients enough information to take the next step, which is to sign up for a consultation call. 

2) Listing your pricing helps you to pre-qualify clients.

To pre-qualify your client means to ensure that you are attracting the right clients and repelling the wrong ones. Prequalifying saves both you and your prospective client time and energy. 

When you list your prices on your website, you weed out those that aren’t willing or able to pay your price. This can cut down on conversations about price concerns on a call when a prospective client has already seen and understands your price.

However, in many cases, even if you DO list your pricing, you can still get prospective clients on calls who haven’t looked at or seen your pricing in advance, so you still want to be ready to address price on your calls..

3) Sharing your pricing is part of communicating your value.

You know you provide value to your clients. And in exchange for that value, your clients pay you. That’s what business is: an exchange of value for money.

Sharing your prices is about knowing and communicating the value of your work. Listing your prices shows that you are confident in your results and you stand behind your work.

In many cases, people choose not to list their pricing because they don’t feel confident about it. Whether you choose to list your price or not, you should feel confident in how you are pricing your services. 

Consider this: What do you prefer when you are looking for a service provider? Do you prefer a websites with prices or no prices?

Reasons why people don’t list want to their prices

In my past 7 years of experience in working with businesses, these are the most common reasons I hear for not wanting to list prices on their website.

1) They want to explain (in person) the value they provide.

Some service providers think that prospective clients won’t understand their pricing or will undervalue them, so they don’t want to share their price until they have a conversation. 

The truth is, you should be communicating your value all the time, in your copy, in your marketing, and especially on your website. In fact, if you’re not doing so on your website, email, social media, and other channels, that’s something you want to change. 

Ideally, prospective clients already understand at least some of the value you provide before they even reach out to you. When you list your pricing, the discovery call can be more about assessing fit than explaining and validating your pricing.

2) They think they need to keep their price a secret in order to attract their ideal clients.

Often I hear from coaches and healers who hide their pricing because they think that sharing their pricing will drive away their prospective clients.  (When in fact, not sharing pricing drives many people away in frustration!)

The more transparent you can be about the coaching relationship and what’s included, the better. You take the guesswork out of it for your prospective client and also establish trust by sharing up front what’s included.

Sharing your pricing may cut down the “sticker shock” a prospective client can experience on a consultation. But the truth is, even when you list your prices, you will get some people who haven’t looked at your prices, so you still want to be prepared for the investment conversation.

3) They assume prospective clients will think their price is too high.

When coaches assume that a prospective client will run from a perceived high price, it is just that: an assumption. (The real truth is, pricing too low can hurt your business even more so than pricing too high!)

Your goal as a business owner is to set your prices alignment with the value you provide to your ideal clients. When you choose a price that’s aligned with your work, the right price will feel good to you because.

(And P.S. this doesn’t mean you can never offer custom packages, payment plans, or even scholarships — in fact, those are great things to offer to those ideal clients who may not be ready for the full investment.)

4) They don’t have an established price or package yet.

(This one is a big yikes. Please do not put out any services or offerings without already having priced them. Changing your prices is one thing, but you do not want to be changing them for every client who comes along!)

In many cases, new service providers may not have specific packages to sell and may be working with clients on a one-off basis or creating custom packages. 

This can work in the early stages of starting a business, and may work for those who are offering bespoke, custom, high touch design packages. But generally, you want to have packages already created and stay away from offering one-off sessions, with the exception of an introductory session which can be helpful for attracting new clients.

Once you niche down in your business, you benefit from creating specific packages to address the specific needs of your ideal clients. This will help you specialize and serve your clients in a deeper way ~  making it a win-win for everyone.

When you might choose not to display your pricing on your website

All of the above said, there may still be some very specific times when you do not want to display pricing on your website. 

1. When your website is under construction, you’re in a rebrand or you’re reworking packages. 

2. When you ARE in fact, only offering custom bespoke packages. In that case, make it very clear up front that this is what you’re offering and give people the next step to procure a quote.

3. When the pricing is dependent on what the client signs up for. In the case that you are offering freelance services and the pricing or discount changes depending on what the client signs up for, a proposal may be more effective than a price list.

4. When it’s against the cultural norms in your country. I’m a US based business coach and here, listing prices is quite normal. But that’s not the case everywhere. You know your country and customs best.

The decision not to list prices is often not about price at all

Often when coaches aren’t comfortable sharing their pricing, it’s actually not about pricing at all. It’s about how confident they are about being able to deliver results and provide value to their clients.

If you’re uncomfortable about listing your prices, you are most likely also uncomfortable with sales conversations, something that is key to being able to onboard clients and grow your business.

To know if confidence is a factor for you, consider the following:

• Do you feel like you’re overcharging or undercharging? In other words, how confident are you that you’ve priced your services right? If you’re not confident in your pricing, it’s going to show up when it’s time to share your pricing.
• Is a self-worth issue at play? Do you believe that you are worthy of the amount you’re asking for? If not, this is more of a self-worth issue than a pricing issue. (This type of self-doubt is common and can also be addressed through coaching.)
• How confident are you in communicating the value of your work? People don’t sign up for coaching based on price alone. They sign up for coaching based on the transformation you provide as a coach. This is why it’s so important to communicate this with clear, effective messaging.

Listing your pricing is only one piece of the puzzle

It is ultimately your decision whether or not to list your coaching prices on your website. No matter what you choose, for best results, you want to ensure you have:

1. A niche you can serve. In order to attract your ideal clients, you need to identify your niche, understand what they’re looking for, and what price they are willing to pay.
2. A offer they want. There is no substitute for a package or offer that completely addresses something that your ideal clients want and need.
3. Messaging that explains what you do. You must be able to communicate the value of working with you on your website, in your marketing, and on social media. 

This is exactly what I help my 1:1 clients do.

Working together, you’ll identify your niche, define your messaging, and create your packages and pricing in a way that feels aligned with who you are and meets the needs and desires of those you serve.

To learn more, sign up for a free consultation.