You may be perfectly comfortable talking about the work you do. Then someone asks, “So what does it cost?” and suddenly you’re explaining your price, your training, and possibly your entire life story.

We’ve been there. We put prices on our own work, and saying the number can still feel more personal than it has any business feeling.

For many coaches, the question underneath the question is Who am I to charge for this? It can show up during a discovery call on Zoom, just as the conversation moves from what someone wants to change to what it would take to work together.

When a price starts sounding like a verdict

Here’s what we’ve noticed in ourselves and in coaches we work with. A price is a practical number, but in that moment it can feel like a judgment of the person saying it. If the prospective client says no, it’s easy to hear, I’m not worth it.

We can separate those things. Your value as a person isn’t being decided on a discovery call. The price describes the coaching program you’re offering, what it includes, and what it takes to provide it sustainably. The person on the call gets to decide whether that program is right for them.

That doesn’t mean the conversation will feel effortless. It gives us something steadier to come back to when we feel tempted to lower the number before anyone has even answered.

A clear offer helps someone decide

When a prospective client can understand the program and its price, they can give you an honest answer. They can ask questions, consider the investment, and decide whether to begin. We don’t help them by hiding the offer because we’re nervous about hearing no.

And for coaching programs that start around $1,000, the way we handle a yes matters too. Many of the coaches we work with serve clients virtually. A discovery call may happen on Zoom, but it can still feel personal and attentive from start to finish.

When someone is ready to enroll, we recommend offering to take care of payment together while you’re on the call. The coach opens their private payment page and enters the client’s payment information with them. That extra care reflects the level of service the client can expect from the coaching program. It also means a client who’s ready to begin doesn’t have to navigate a link alone later, when doubt may start talking louder than the reason they came to the call.

We can make that next step easy while giving the client room to choose. If they need time, they need time. If they say yes, we want to be ready to support that yes.

And if they say no?

Sometimes the answer will be “not right now.” It may be about budget, timing, readiness, or something we don’t know. We don’t need to guess, and we don’t need to turn it into a verdict about our work.

If it helps, ask a respectful question: “Would it be useful to talk through what’s giving you pause?” Then listen. They may have a question you can answer. They may simply need to make their decision. Either way, they’ve heard what you offer, and you’ve treated them like a person who gets to choose.

A kinder answer to the question

When Who am I to charge for this? shows up, try saying this out loud:

I’m trained to help with this. I can explain what the program offers and what it costs. The person in front of me gets to decide whether it’s right for them.

Some of us will still feel a wobble. We can say the number anyway, pause, and let the other person think. Silence on Zoom can feel about seven years long. It usually isn’t.

The assignment

Let’s make this useful before your next call. Three small moves:

• Say the price out loud. Add one plain sentence about what the program includes. Practice until you can say both without immediately offering a discount. The mirror counts. So does the dog.
  
• Remember the work. Write down a few specific moments when your coaching helped someone see a new possibility or take a step. Practice clients and certification partners count. Read your list before your next call if you need it.
  
• Get your private payment page ready. Make sure the right program and payment options are there, and know how you’ll walk through it with a client on Zoom. Then, if someone says yes, you can ask, “Would you like to take care of that together now?”

The assignment

Let’s make this useful before your next call. Three small moves:

1. Get your private payment page ready. Make sure the right program and payment options are there, and know how you’ll walk through it with a client on Zoom. Then, if someone says yes, you can ask, “Would you like to take care of that together now?”
   
2. Say the price out loud. Add one plain sentence about what the program includes. Practice until you can say both without immediately offering a discount. The mirror counts. So does the dog.
   
3. Remember the work. Write down a few specific moments when your coaching helped someone see a new possibility or take a step. Practice clients and certification partners count. Read your list before your next call if you need it.
   

We can name our price clearly and give people the space to answer honestly. And when someone is ready to begin, we can make the next step feel as thoughtful as the work they’re signing up for.

If the setup is the part slowing you down, we help coaches with websites, calendars, and private payment pages. Explore the ways we can help.

Get Going. 💙