Pricing Strategy —Treating Your Prices Like The About Page

For all businesses whether you're running a law firm, consultancy, or selling LongeWear - PJs Fitted Exclusively for Dachshunds—one decision can be especially tricky: pricing.

It’s tempting to approach the numbers as a loosely guided math problem to simply cover your costs, then just sprinkle in “enough to be comfortable.” But thinking about pricing so linearly can lead to misguided strategic decisions, such as undervaluing your work, leaving money on the table, or burnout.

In service based businesses, there are two core strategies to consider, mass volume pricing and premium pricing.

1. Volume Pricing

This is about accessibility and scale. Lower prices open the door to more clients, faster transactions, and broader reach.

Pros:

• Easier entry point for customers

• Higher volume means more eyes, more referrals, more feedback

Cons:

• Requires operational efficiency and serious systems.

• Risk of becoming a commodity if brand isn’t clear
  

This model works beautifully if you’re prepared to serve at scale while maintaining value consistently. However that’s tricky, everything from a law firm to a barbershop built on the skills of the managing partner and master stylist. It is hard (and only getting harder as humans evolve) to rely on “the human touch” - so if great service needs to be scaled, proceed with caution.

2. Premium Pricing

This is about depth over breadth. Higher pricing lets you focus on fewer clients with more time, more attention, and more impact.\

Pros:

• Higher margins and revenue per client

• Opportunity to build long-term relationships and trust

Cons:

• Clients expect polish, process, and perfection

• The higher the price, the stronger the need to differentiate

Premium pricing demands more than expertise—it demands experience. From onboarding to deliverables to follow-up, everything has to reflect the investment you’re asking for.

Which is “Better”?

Correct: Neither — they serve different purposes. The important thing is pricing intentionally to avoid wasting time and energy.

Ex1: a business that should be priced high, but is priced low—

Imagine a business growing over time because the white glove service is just too good to be true. At some point, the business is made up mostly of buyers looking for incredible service, without paying what incredible service is worth.

Unfortunately, when the business finally ups to premium prices, it’s not just an easy switch.

The network your business has built through word of mouth, social media algorithms, etc., lies on a foundation of who you have already served. And typically, neighbors, friends, colleagues of one price shopper are also price shoppers.

On the other hand, had you priced higher, nobody would have questioned it, and while it might have been harder (even scarier) to convert clients initially, you could offset that longer sales cycle with higher invoices. Over time, dividends would emerge in the form of the network you’ve built your business around because people in this demographic are looking to spend more for the premium option for all kinds of reasons.

Ex2: a business that could scale well, but is priced too high—

You could have a product/service with everything it needs to scale, but if the pricing doesn’t match your model, you create friction where there should be flow. You continue to attract, but instead of an easy conversion which adds fuel to the fire, you convert just a portion.

With fewer people buying, momentum never fully takes off and you never quite reach enough volume to build a buzz.

Instead of becoming a dictionary brand like “Kleenex” or “Uber”, you’re stuck battling amongst other similar products with slight variation in pricing. With enough scale, even small margins add up — and once you're established, then you can introduce higher tiers, upgrades, or premium add-ons.

Final Thoughts: Pricing in Context

Whether a business’s pricing is meant to be premium or welcoming, the rest of the brand needs to align. Not just visually—but in tone, clarity, voice, and message.

Take the globally recognized brand name Louis Vuitton. Just looking at their prices (and the aesthetic of the site) you can almost smell the nice fragrence of the personal shopper helping you pick out the perfect $500 poop bag “dog bag”. While it is hard for many to imagine paying that for that, clearly the company is succeeding. They are so invested in branding they even built a flagship storefront to resemble their famous bag design.

Now consider Dunkin Donuts — does the orange-pink-and brown bubble-lettered lettermark scream luxury to you? Hope not. And as we would hope, the messages behind their ads indeed highlight their attractive price.

Think of pricing as a communication device. For many buyers, this is the first filter they would select if they could toggle that switch. Depending on the buyer and the product, some are hoping to see high prices, some are hoping for low prices.

So whether you're scaling for the masses or crafting a premium, boutique experience—consider the brand you are building and how that price can further clarify your identity.

And now, it is time for my Saturday Donut Walk.

Will it be Dunkin or Firecakes, probably both, but the important thing to take away from this is the basic math:

$1 x 1000 transactions = $1000. And so does $1000 x 1 transaction. Finding your balance is a critical piece to your branding and business success.