3 Keys to Raising Your Rates Without Making Your Audience Flinch

Jaclyn Mellone

Welcome to Go-To Gal episode number 191. And did you hear that little creak thingy ma jig going on in my chair? I don’t know what that’s all about. But apparently, I got a creaky chair around here. All right. As always, I’m your host, Jaclyn Mellone. I have no idea if I already said that or not because I got distracted by my creaky chair. And we got an episode for you today. We’re off to a great start here. Aren’t we? So today’s episode was originally an IG TV. It got some great engagement on Instagram, both the comments and the DMs. There’s an analogy in here about raising your rates of your clients if you’re like, no one I know is going to pay more. My clients wouldn’t pay more. How do I raise my rates? I don’t know anyone that would pay more or pay double, or whatever that more looks like, then this is definitely for you. And I wanted to continue the conversation too. So if you’re like, oh yes, I saw it on IG. I’m all about that, that blueberry analogy. 

I have something else for you too that I wanted to add what’s, that was missing from this and just to add a little bit more context to what it does take to raise your rates. With the original video, it really hit home on the main thing. But there are two more parts that I didn’t want to leave out. And while I was thinking about sharing this with you, I’m like, you know what? I could add that to the end. That’s what I like about this podcast format is that we can spend a little bit more time together. I don’t need to just talk in 3-minute clips. But sometimes those 3-minute clips are fun too. So let’s kick things off with that initial audio from the video because we’re all about the re-purposing here. That is going to talk about your clients that don’t pay more. How do you raise your rates? What does that look like? And then I’ll come back after. We’ll chat about it and I’ll tell you the two other things that are really important to factor in when we’re having this conversation. 

Alright, without further ado, I’ve been talking for two minutes. I feel like there’s not been a lot of ado. I’m in a mood today. Can you feel that? Kids are back to school. I don’t know if this is good energy or loopy energy of like, what do I do now that I don’t have little minions around? Or just I’m here for it, whatever it is. Thanks for hanging out with me. Let’s dive in.

Hey, it’s me again. Okay, so there you have it. There is the blueberry analogy. Now you know it. Don’t forget it. I hope it just makes you laugh a little bit while you’re thinking about something that might be stressful like raising your rates and really give you that visual of like, okay, I need to put myself in that metaphorical whole foods. So I said earlier, there are two really important parts to this whole raising your rates thing that I left out of that video. And clearly, the video stands on its own. But for those of us here in the Go-To Gal Podcast community, I wanted to not leave that out. As you’re thinking about this, this is also a great time for you to be thinking about raising your rates.

This is a popular time of the year for everything in business. So you may have more demand and that in and of itself may lead to raising your rates, or even just getting ready to raise those rates in 2022. That’s something you want to start thinking about now. So I’m glad we’re having this conversation now. Certainly, you can raise your rates at any time of the year. But it does feel a little time now. But I wanted to bring up these other two components of it. So we’re just going to rock this whole foods analogy here. We’re just going to keep it going. See, this is why I needed to have the audio from the video here on the podcast because otherwise, I’d be trying to have this conversation without the other part of it. 

So we’re just going to rock this whole foods analogy and say, okay, so you got the blueberry. I love how I’m using farming produce analogies, and I really don’t know anything about it. But we’re just going to work this. So you got those blueberries. You’re going to put yourself in that metaphorical whole foods. What do you need? Well, you need one, you have to have the brand to go in whole foods. Now, sure, there’s certain packaging that maybe would look very Joanna Gaines-esque that could work on a farm and could also work in whole foods. But you got to, and I’m not talking about visuals like for the metaphor, I’m talking about visual packaging. But for you, maybe it’s visual packaging, but that’s probably not. It’s really more of how are you showing up? How are you packaging what you do? How are you talking about what you do? Like how are you showcasing the value? Does that packaging, not literal packaging although maybe, if you have a product-based business or if your graphics are just like, I was going to say, if your graphics are really like Microsoft Word 1995. But honestly, I feel like that’s back in style now. So even if they are, that’s probably working for you. So let’s not worry about that this second and think more of the elements of your packaging of, okay, what’s your offer? How are you showing the value of your offer? What is the language that you’re using? Are you talking to the person who is going to pay those rates? 

A lot of the time our copy, the stories we’re sharing, the words that we’re using, the examples we’re using, even the testimonials that we’re using are attracting a different ideal client than the one we want to bring in. So I want you to get crystal clear on who is that person who is going to not flinch, who’s the unflinching perfect person that you want to be serving? And what do they need to hear? What do they need to see? And if all of your examples are from people with a certain type of business or at a certain stage of business, and the person you want to serve doesn’t relate to that then what you’re doing, your marketing, your visibility is not attracting them. 

So that is a really key piece to this is okay, as you’re going out and putting yourself in that metaphorical whole foods, how are you showing up in that environment? Is it even the right environment? So in terms of the tip that I gave at the end there with, okay, get yourself on podcasts. But make sure those podcasts have the audience that you’re actually looking for. Not all podcasts are created equal. And I don’t mean that in terms of the size because I don’t care if there are 20 listeners or 20,000 listeners. If they’re not your perfect people, what are you doing? You’re not going to get those results. So really getting clear on who’s that perfect person and how is it may be different? What is the difference of who you’re going after now versus who are those people that are willing to pay double? Now, I know I’ve talked about this on the podcast before but it’s worth mentioning again in this context is, they might “look the same” on the outside.

This may be a mindset. This may not be a demographic. This may a hundred percent be psychographic. So what I mean by that is, and like demographic like this may not be, oh, I’m shifting my perfect person is now a different age or makes this much money versus this much money, or lives in this location versus this location. And that may well change, but it may not. So I want to bring this up because when I, and I talk more about this. Oh, we’ll put it in the show notes. And my episode with Beth where we talk about visibility, I share a little bit more about this there. But essentially, back in 2017, when I rebranded my business from, this was early 2017, from Chasing Dreams and Littles to being a personal brand. What I realized was that my ideal clients didn’t necessarily change. Now, over the years it’s changed. But what I realized then was with the Chasing Dreams and Littles brand, I was attracting entrepreneurs who were moms and business owners but who were chasing dreams and littles. 

And they didn’t necessarily have the biggest goals. Maybe they just wanted to make a little bit of extra money for dance lessons or something like that, or a family vacation. And they weren’t necessarily looking to build bigger businesses. What I realized when I started doing affiliate marketing for 90-day here and had some women joined through that and started doing strategy sessions and working with them one-on-one through that capacity, a couple of them said to me privately and separately, I never would’ve thought to work with you. And that blew my mind because I’m literally, you’re a mom, you have a business, you’re at the same stage of business as all of these other women in my membership for 29 or 99 a month, whatever I was charging then. I feel like I’m exactly marketing to you. Like, what do you mean you wouldn’t think to work with me? I was so taken back by that. 

And when I realized was that even though “outside”, even though the business, they could be making the same amount of money. They could have the same type of business, being in business the same amount of time, have kids the same age. All these things on the outside, you could say like, okay, well these two business owners like that is the same profile of a person. But there was something very different, and that was the psychographics. That was the thoughts, the feelings, the motivations, the desires, their goals, their dreams, their struggles even. All that was different because their aspirations were so different. Their motivators were different. And when I really started peeling it back, it was like, okay, this brand is attracting people that are really resonating with this whole chasing dreams and littles, but maybe not going big. Where when I debranded, as I call it, and ended up a personal brand, that’s when I was able to really just be very much more clear with who I was talking to.

Even now, my ideal client is not necessarily a mom. But for a long time, it was because I was in that market and because I’m a mom and I share a lot about mom-life. We have a lot of moms in the Go-To Gal community. But then it was so interesting to me of like, okay well, how does this look like the same type of profile of a person, but they’re so different? And what they’re looking for and what they’re buying and what the services and the courses and all of that that they’re looking for are so different? When I realized that, everything changed in my business. And I just want to share that with you again, if you have heard it already or you haven’t, because as your thinking about who is this perfect person that is going to pay more, it might look the same on the outside.

They may still be a course creator and in business for however long and making a certain amount of money. That part may not change. But their mindset or their goals for their business may change drastically. And it doesn’t always mean for more. Maybe they value working less. And so for me personally, I don’t work a ton of hours. I don’t work full-time hours in my business. This right now will be, it’s not yet because even though the kids are technically in school, they have two days of school this week. And then the next week, I’m away with my mom for a day. And then we have offered in Yom Kippur and all these.

So still, I don’t fully have a week yet where it will be my new hours. But with both kids in elementary school now, I have more time than I’ve ever had to work on my business. But I digress. So it’s not necessarily that, but it could be someone who is motivated more by freeing up their time versus making more money. So I don’t want you to think that this always has to do with people that are aspiring to make more money. It’s like, what are their motivators? What are they struggling with? What’s their mindset? What are those invisible things? So maybe on the outside, it is the same person. But what’s different, what’s different about that person who’s willing to pay more? And maybe you’ve had clients in the past that you can look back at and start thinking about this. That’s a whole nother episode, but I really want you to think about that of, okay, who is that person, and how do you align the way that you’re talking about that offer? Maybe the offer itself, the packaging of that offer because you’re talking about changing the price. So what are you calling the offer, and what’s included and how has it delivered and all of these things? That’s something to take into consideration of, is that all designed with that new perfect person in line in mind?

Not in line, although I guess that could work, but in mind. So that piece. Let’s not leave that out of the conversation here. So yes to that blueberry analogy, but as we’re taking it this next step further to really think about how are you packaging what you’re selling to that perfect person who is going to not flinch at your raised rates? So I have one more thing to share with you. I’m losing count. And then I have a few minutes before the kids are going to get off the bus, so I want to keep this going. 

Okay, so the third thing is the mindset. You have to be the person who’s going to show up with the energy that doesn’t make people flinch. You need to have that energy, that confidence, that certainty like you got this, and they’re buying into that trust. Now, you may still not feel a hundred percent with things. But that’s likely something with yourself sabotage. That’s likely imposter syndrome. That’s likely some form of your inner critic, not necessarily your ability. And if it is something with your ability, then I want you to rework your offer to really be within what you actually feel confident about. So I don’t want to go too far down that path because I’m talking and working with so many of you. I know that for the most part, this really is a mindset.

And so you, getting into that Go-To Gal mindset, you owning your expertise and really showing up with that energy unapologetically, that is what’s also going to attract these people. When you’re tiptoeing around it, when you’re iffy and wishy-washy, all of the things, that’s not going to attract those people. That’s not going to convert those people. So spending time on your mindset, spending time on yourself like filling your freakin’ cup so you can show up with that energy. So even if it’s just for a little bit, if you don’t have the energy all day, but just so you can show up for that 10 minutes, that one hour with that energy is going to make a big difference.

So you really want to get your mindset aligned with those rates. And if raising your rates totally puts your mindset out of whack then, this may surprise you, but I actually recommend that you do this slowly then because we need your brain on board. If your brain is not on board, you can only grow as big as your beliefs. And so if your brain is like, whoa, this is a ridiculous amount of money. No one’s ever going to pay this. If your brain is not on board, then let’s get your brain on board. And that’s going to take the mindset work, that’s going to make figuring out what these limiting beliefs are, and I say, incrementally raising those rates. So finding the rate that is maybe a little bit more, finding a way to package it maybe. So your brain can get on board because if it’s totally out of whack, it’s not going to work. So that is the third and final piece, your mindset. 

We need to get that brain on board. We need your beliefs to align with this new rate, with this new offer for this all to work together. So to sum things up, what is it going to take to raise your rates to market to a new audience of people who are not going to flinch? Whatever that rate is, one, it’s going to take, like going to that metaphorical whole foods. It’s going to take going to the place where those people are. 

Two, we need to know who they are and how to market to them. What are you saying to them? How are you packaging up that offer so it appeals to those people? It’s not enough to just be in that metaphorical room or store with them. You also need to be packaged up to attract and convert them.

And then number three, last but certainly not the least is getting that brain on board, your mindset, your belief system. You need to really be in alignment with that new rate and own your Go-To Gal status there. 

So those are the three things. Start there, even if it’s a little bit of a raise. You got this, I believe in you. I really want to hear your stories with this. So if this is something you’re actually taking action on, which I hope you are, send me DM. In case you haven’t noticed, I’ve really just been talking of the fly this episode which I normally don’t do, and it’s something I’m trying to embrace more. I sometimes, I don’t know. I’m like, ah, I’m going to be rambling. I don’t have my thoughts fully formed, but want to talk to you more directly and that might mean being a little bit messy about it. And for me, that is worth it. So hopefully you’re on board with that too. And if you’re not, then maybe this isn’t the type of episode on this podcast for you. Maybe you stick with the other episodes then. Alright, that is it for today. Thanks for hanging out with me. Go raise those rates. And as always, I’m cheering you on. 

Can I just say, thank you so much for listening. I don’t think I’m saying it enough, but I love that you are here. If you enjoyed today’s episode, or if you’ve been getting value from this podcast, can you do me a quick favor. Head on over to iTunes and leave a rating and review. When you leave a rating and review, it basically tells iTunes that they need to spread the word and tell more people about this podcast, and I am on a mission to get the word out. I’m so grateful for your support. We want to make sure to shout you out too. So if you do leave a rating and review, keep your eyes and ears open. We will be either shouting out in the podcast or on Instagram Stories.