Blanket statements about pricing (eg. “You should charge a minimum of $X for a website”) have always annoyed me.
There are hundreds of factors that go into pricing — and just because X is profitable for one agency, doesn’t mean it’s profitable for another.
However, I do think many of us tend to undercharge for what we do.
But there are a few really logical reasons for this… Our own biases.
- You’re not your ideal customer. You likely wouldn’t pay for the services you offer, so it’s easy to undervalue them because you have “do-it-yourself” mentality when it comes to your product or service. You can’t imagine spending that kind of money on what you do— but remember, you’re not your ideal customer.
- You know how the sausage is made. Because you have a expert-level knowledge of what you do, it feels like second nature to you— but it’s not the same for your customers.
- You forget about the time you’ve spent learning. When it comes to pricing, it’s easy to forget to account for all the time you spent learning to do what you do (not just how long it takes to do it). If your customer had to be come as proficient as you it would cost them thousands and thousands of dollars in time and training.
All of these factors play a role when we put a number down on paper and think “they’re never going to go for this”. Our own biases are working against us.
In my experience, as long as you’ve presented your solutions clearly, demonstrated the value you’ll bring to the table, and you’re speaking with someone who values what you do — they do go for it.
Maybe not every time — but more often than not.
Kyle Van Deusen
After spending 15 years as a graphic designer and earning a business degree, I launched my agency, OGAL Web Design, in 2017. A year later, after finding the amazing community around WordPress, I co-found The Admin Bar, which has grown to become the #1 community for WordPress professionals. I'm a husband and proud father of three, and a resident of the Commonwealth of Virginia.
