A medical doctor, who is a good friend of mine, tells me how annoyed she gets when people try to cure the flu with antibiotics.
Antibiotics kill bacteria, not viruses—and the flu is caused by a virus.
It’s not just wrong, it’s a category error.
Well, there are two very different reasons why people have trouble with their pricing.
And just like bacteria and viruses, they are simply very different beasts.
So let’s do a lightning-quick self-test:
- If it’s hard to describe what makes your work different from others, so clients are shocked by your prices because they don’t see the value, and you are regularly compared to lower-quality options… then you have a positioning problem.
- If barely anyone complains about the cost, but it’s hard to explain what you actually do for clients, and even though you are swamped with work you are still not making enough… then you have a pricing problem.
Solving a positioning problem is about aiming at a target market that needs you, not just “anybody with a degree and a pulse.”
Solving a pricing problem is about finding a price that matches and supports the value message you want to send.
Trying to fix bad positioning by raising prices is like treating a virus with antibiotics.
It feels proactive, but it will lead to frustration and helplessness.
In short: you can’t price your way out of being misunderstood.
Yes, most people have both problems at the beginning.
Once you can distinguish them, they are much easier to solve individually.
And yes—I’ve helped people solve both, many times.
I got you. We are in this together. 💪