Should Service Providers Share their Prices Online?

Let’s set the scene:

You’re a kick*ss website designer (if your twenty 5-star reviews are any indication).

One late night, you’re watching Netflix on the couch when you hear your phone ping from the coffee table.

You pick it up to see which one of your friends dares to bother you this late at night…

Instead, you see a new inquiry from a dreaaaam client.

As you scroll through their inquiry, the more excited you get. You immediately start brainstorming ideas and you’ve already created a mood board for their new site in your head.

During your discovery call, your Dreamy New Lead can’t stop gushing about how amazing your work is. You know you’ve got this project in the bag.

At the end of the call, you go over a few logistics.

You pull up your custom quote and drop the news: their website will cost approx. $15 000 to build out.

You wait excitedly and anxiously to see their response.

Your Dreamy New Lead is quiet for a few moments.

Finally, they awkwardly tell you they need to stick to a firm budget of $7 000 for their website build-out.

Your dreamy new lead is suffering from a major case of sticker shock.

Why? Because they had unrealistic expectations for what your work would cost (which isn’t only their fault!)

You have to shake the image of working with them and all the cool ideas you had for their business out of your head as you click “archive” in your CRM.

If you had put your pricing on their website, you could have saved yourself time, money, energy, and getting your hopes up.

Should you publicly share your prices online?

You might be afraid that sharing your prices upfront publicly will scare away potential clients.

This might feel scary especially if you provide a non-essential service at a higher ticket price. What if they can’t afford it or they freak out at the number?

Here’s my stance.

I personally won’t even inquire about a service or product if there’s no base price. And based on the many, many Instagram DMs I’ve gotten about this, I know I’m not alone!

People would rather know some semblance of price instead of inquiring with no information.

And, if I can tell before hopping on a call that my budget doesn’t match your pricing— I’ll add your services to my “one-day” business investments list (instead of getting both our hopes up now).

And if you need some more convincing, here are three major reasons to list your prices on your website:

Price Transparency Attracts More Qualified Leads

More dream clients without hopping on a million flopped discovery calls and sending out dozens of proposals? Yessss please!

When you share your pricing publicly, your leads usually pre-qualify themselves before inquiring.

They’ve seen how much your service will cost them

Spend Less Time Overcoming Objections 

I’m always happy to chat through any questions or issues potential new clients have, but I don’t really spend time overcoming price objections!

My prices are always readily available alongside the value I provide in each package. Business owners who inquire with me have usually decided I’m the right fit for them before the discovery call. They have all the information they need before we chat, and I love to use our discovery call time to talk about my processes, see if our personalities vibe, and project timelines.

Transparency Builds Trust 

Let’s be real: as entrepreneurs, trusting other service providers with our business can be SO hard. You’re often giving up your creative control and trusting the process (literally)!

That’s why your booking process needs to make it easy for prospective clients to trust you. 

Transparency makes it easier for people to hire you. We love working with people we can trust! By being upfront with your pricing, it makes it easier for clients to trust you in the long run.

What if each service I offer requires a custom price?

For all my social media managers, web designers, copywriters, systems pros, photographers, and all the other niches who offer a ton of custom packages: I got you!

Here are three phrases to share your services price online:

“All packages require a custom quote, but on average clients can expect to spend $X-$X on this service” 

I love this because a) You’re sharing that they can expect a custom quote and b) you’re sharing the typical range that your actual paying clients spend in! This is a good fit for you if your pricing is truly custom and can vary a TON based on what each client needs. It gives a great baseline so leads can check their budget and see what’s doable for them before even inquiring.

“Investment for this package starting at $X”

You’ll see this on many of my clients’ websites because it’s my fave! Short, sweet, and to the point. This is a good option for you if you don’t offer a ton of pricy add-ons or your price won’t vary too much. 

“Investment starts at $X for Y**. Additional services or scope will increase your investment”

** For a five page website, managing one social media platform, etc. Quantify what they could get for the investment!

One thing to know about me: I LOVE details. This breaks your offer down SO nicely and shows your leads EXACTLY what they can expect for a certain price. This is the best option for you if you offer retainer services or project-based services where clients get to choose what they want in their package!