Do you dread this question from your clients?

For many holistic practitioners, it’s the dreaded question: “So what do you charge?” You really want them to say yes to working with you, but you’re afraid they’ll balk at the amount you quote and walk away. What do you do?

In this article, you’ll learn how to confidently tell people what you charge AND get them excited about working with you.

Understanding the Problem

Most health coaches think the problem centers around the amount that they charge. And as a result, I find many who don’t charge enough for their services. They are charging hundreds of dollars for their services instead of thousands.

It’s not so much a problem of “what” you charge as it is a problem of “when” you tell them what you charge.

For example, suppose I told you Mary charges $100 or $1,000 or $10,000 or $100,000? Does that tell you anything about what Mary offers? No. Does it help you make a buying decision? Maybe. But not as much as you would think.

Certainly, a person’s budget does need to be considered. But if the transformation Mary is offering is valuable enough, the amount can seem like a bargain.

For example, if Mary’s $10,000 program helps people reverse type-2 diabetes, its value may be priceless to the diabetic. What if her $100,000 program shows you how to have a $1 million holistic practice within the next 12-18 months – and she has multiple client success stories to prove it?

As you can see from the examples, “when” you quote your rates has more of an impact than “what” you charge. You need to first convey the value before quoting a price.

And that leads us into the first step of how to confidently tell people what you charge.

Step 1 – Talk About the Transformation First

Don’t quote your fees before first stating the value of what you are offering.

The reason many health coaches and practitioners get this wrong is because they think the value they offer is in the process: nutrition counseling, massage therapy, diet and supplement recommendations, balancing energy chakras, etc. And that is what they talk about when describing their services.

While all of those things are well and good, that’s not where the value is for the potential client. The value is in the transformation you offer. And this is where your branding message comes in.

Tell people what the end result will be once you help them learn to eat better, use homeopathy, start exercising, or go through a detox. How will their life be transformed once they work with you?

For example, do you help them drop up to 2 dress sizes in 30 days or look 10 years younger? Do you help them break drug or food addictions? Do you help women look and feel sexy again or help men get back their vitality?

So the first part of conveying the value is to state the transformation, not the process used to get there.

Step 2 – Find Out What It’s Worth to Them

Talking about the transformation is the right place to start, but it’s not enough if you want to sell high-end programs and packages.

You see, most people won’t immediately realize the value to them personally until you point it out. You have to help them “do the math.” Here’s what I mean.

Once you’ve stated your transformation, find out what would be the impact in their health, relationships, career, lifestyle, and income if they were to achieve this in their life.

Compare how they feel about their health and situation now to how they will feel once they reached their goals. Find out what it will cost them if they don’t work with you – if they continue on the way they are. Will they be better off in a year from now or worse? How much worse will it likely get?

Help them realize all the ways their life will improve, both logically and emotionally.

Then ask them what that is worth to them. Many will tell you “It’s priceless” or “That would be worth anything.”

Remember that people make buying decisions emotionally then justify it logically. So you want to especially address their feelings and emotions about the problem, not just the physical impact on their lives.

A common concern I hear from health coaches is, “But what if my services don’t help them make money? How can I get them to put a dollar amount on it?”

Don’t be concerned if your services do not help people make more money. That is typically a secondary concern. After all, why do most people want to earn more money? It’s so they can have a better lifestyle. As a health coach or holistic practitioner, you help them have a better lifestyle without the need for more money.

Step 3 – Offer a Program

At this point, you’ve communicated the transformation, and you know that you’re talking to a potential ideal candidate. It’s time to offer a program and confidently answer the question, “What do you charge?”

Once someone understands the value of what you’re about to offer them, you’ll feel great when you quote your fees. And that person you’re talking to will see it as a bargain. After all, they’ve already told you how valuable it will be for them.

At the very least, I recommend that you have 3 programs or packages to offer potential clients:

1. Free – includes a free irresistible gift, newsletter subscription, and/or articles.
2. Low to Mid-range – includes a quick start program or something that can be done in two to six weeks.
3. High-end – includes three to twelve month private, one-on-one coaching with extras.

The important thing is to offer them the program that is the BEST fit for them. You’ll want to consider their goals as well as their budget. Then offer the program that will best meet both those criteria.

For more information on the difference between a $300 program and a $3000 program, see the following articles I wrote on this topic:

• 4 Steps to Creating Irresistible Coaching Programs
• How to Easily Get Clients to Say “Yes!” to High-level Programs
• 7 Reasons Why People Say “No” to Your Programs

If you’re charging hundreds of dollars for your services, instead of thousands, you’ll definitely want to check out those articles.

Typically, you’ll only need a few strategic tweaks to your current programs to double or triple your fees.

Summary

Most people don’t become health coaches or holistic practitioners for the money. They do it because they love what they do.

But one of the goals for being in business is to make enough money so you can have the resources that enable the lifestyle you desire. And that includes enough income to continue growing your business.

It’s great to change people’s lives, but if you don’t charge what you’re worth and get it, you won’t be able to do any of those things.

That’s why it’s so important to price your services to reflect the real value of the transformation you are offering. By following the steps above, you will be able to smile and feel confident the next time someone asks, “So what do you charge?”

Please leave a comment and share which step or insight you found most helpful – or which one you plan on implementing first. I’d love to hear from you.

For more tips, strategies, and articles on how to get more clients and create irresistible offers, programs, and websites, visit http://www.KarenBrunet.com. From Karen Brunet, The Irresistible Marketing Coach, where “It’s not just a website… It’s the Mother Lode!”