Are your pricing practices trauma-informed?

If you have a business and you’re struggling to make your pricing trauma-informed, I invite you to keep reading.

We know that pricing practices can be pressure-y, predatory and not at all trauma-informed.

Here are just a few:

• When we inflate prices just to lower them and offer a “sale” . . .

• When we use a deadline timer to count down before doors close on an Evergreen funnel that is actually going all of the time . . .

• When we charge exorbitant fees on payment plans . . .

• When accessibility in pricing is not considered or offered . . .

• When pricing is not listed on our website and service page . . .

These are a few of the ways pricing can give us (and our customers and clients) the “ick”

Of course we as business owners need to support ourselves so that we can be supported in our work, rendering it both sustainable and successful.

Of course our financial needs are important alongside our customers and clients.

We can only do our best to meet our financial needs and offer financial accessibility, and often this is an evolving practice.

Pricing and money can be tricky for us and for clients. It can be loaded nervous system territory. A tender subject. And one that many mainstream business and marketing practices do not respect or honor.

Maybe because some of us are just doing things the way we were taught (and that way is icky).

Maybe because it’s uncomfortable to talk about pricing and money.

Maybe because we don’t know another way.

It can feel challenging to leave behind some of the marketing we learned to offer around pricing. And what’s more, there is lots of nuance to trauma-informed pricing and not all marketing practices are “bad”.

I understand the marketing wisdom of value stacking — letting people know what they might receive and experience before naming the price).

I understand it can be tricky to transparently name a price for an individualized service.

I understand the difficulty of being accessible and offering various price points and sliding scale without causing detriment to our business’ financial wellbeing.

I even understand a small (and I do mean small) fee for payment plans, although this is not my practice.

And all that said, for pricing to be trauma-informed, transparency is key.

Part of our job is to give potential clients enough information so they can make an informed decision about whether or not to work with us, and whether or not the pricing is aligned for them.

When we are moving towards trauma-informed pricing, we can consider:

• Am I being transparent in my pricing? Am I giving enough information about the price and what folks will receive in exchange?

• Is my pricing clear and easily found on my website and sales page/s?

• How are my pricing practices honoring me? How are they honoring my clients?

• Where do I have room to grow in my pricing practices? What am I struggling with?

To more trauma-informed pricing,

Jess