Hi Reader,
I've been working with clients since 2006... y'all that's literally 20 years. #thanksIfeeloldnow
I've worked as a freelancer and as an in-house designer, so over the years I've been saddled with some super uncomfortable conversations, either due to my own inexperience, a genuine mistake, naiveté, boss/client/coworker dynamics, and even rude or unhappy people. 🫠
I'm lucky now to have clients I genuinely adore, but I have absolutely still had awkward discovery call conversations with people who didn't realize what my prices were, despite my every attempt to make sure that wasn't the case by the time they got on a call with me. No one "enjoys" that conversation, which goes something like:
Potential Client: 😬 "So how much will that cost?"
Me: 😃 "It's $X,000 and here's how that works, and what you get for that service package: ..."
Potential Client: 😳 "..." 😒🫣 "That's not in my budget."
The possibility of that response used to terrify me, because it's awkward, somewhat confrontational & I sucked at negotiating, ...so I didn't do it right. And then either they'd walk away or I'd do the work for much less than I needed to charge to pay my own bills... not a great situation... for anyone.
Here’s what I’ve learned since then:
Clients don’t push back on our prices because they’re cheap.
They push back when they don’t understand the value yet, which means that price isn't worth it for them.
In the same way I wouldn't pay for a Rolls Royce because I don't understand the value there either. I'm not buying a cheap car with the floor rusted through, but I also am not forking out ungodly amounts of money for something that has no value to me. 🤷♀️ Cost ≠ result, in that admittedly bad real-world example. 🤭
TBH, that’s often because of us ––and no, I’m not coming at you. 😆 I’m saying this is something we can actually fix!
Most of us were never taught the language to help them understand the value.
We know the work is worth it. We’ve lived through the 35-hour process. We’ve seen the before and after, and the results it creates. But translating that into something a client can understand before they’ve experienced it, that’s a very real gap people struggle with crossing.
And that’s exactly what my friend Kadie from Drop Cap Design® is coming back to the Club to chat with us!
'Why does branding cost so much?'
A live group coaching experience on positioning the value of Brand Design
Guest Host: Kadie Smith, Drop Cap Design
April 14, 2026
11am - 12:30pm Eastern
Free for everyone to join
Bring your questions!
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And although many have had success adding it as a part of your packages, realizing you were already doing that work & just weren't charging for it, I absolutely realize that the biggest sticking point is getting your clients to “get it”, in your unique context Reader.
So we wanted to help you work through that a bit!
Instead of doing a workshop, this will be more of a live, casual group session: part fireside chat, part group coaching, as a direct follow up to the original session (watch it here if you missed it).
After that live group session, we hope you’ll leave with:
- A clearer way to talk about branding value before the proposal ever lands
- Language that builds trust with clients who are skeptical, price-sensitive, or confused
- Confidence in your pricing that doesn’t rely on "convincing"
- Feedback on your specific challenge or live client situation
It’s free!
Bring us your questions & your hardest client scenarios.
We’ll work through it together. 😃
See you there!
