The Art of Pricing: How to Charge What You’re Worth and Still Attract Customers

Pricing is one of the most misunderstood—and emotionally charged—decisions in business. For small business owners, especially those in creative, service-based, or early-stage ventures, the fear of "charging too much" often leads to undervaluing their work and eroding profitability from the start. But underpricing doesn’t just impact revenue; it sends the wrong message to your market, confuses your value proposition, and can actually repel your ideal customer.

This session will unpack the psychology, strategy, and science behind setting prices that reflect your worth while still appealing to the right buyers. Attendees will learn how to shift from reactive or fear-based pricing to intentional, market-aligned pricing that supports growth, sustainability, and scale.

Key takeaways include:

• Value-Based Pricing: How to price based on perceived value, not just time, cost, or competitors.
• Pricing Psychology: Understand how customers interpret price and how to use anchors, tiers, and cues to guide their decisions.
• Audience Alignment: How to identify and attract customers who are willing—and happy—to pay your rates.
• Profitability Without Guilt: Tools to overcome the fear of rejection and imposter pricing, especially in underrepresented and service-driven communities.

A 30-minute Masterclass will be followed by 10–15 minutes of live Q&A, giving participants the chance to get expert insights on their most pressing pricing challenges. Whether you're launching a new offer, raising your rates, or simply tired of second-guessing your numbers, this conversation will leave you with practical strategies to charge what you’re worth—and feel good about it.

Note: Attendees will need to bring their phones or laptops to participate in this interactive workshop.

Session Recap: The Art of Pricing and How to Charge What You're Worth and Still Attract Customers

Brief Summary
This dynamic session, introduced by Katie Davis of Verizon's Small Business Digital Ready program, was led by Warrick and Teesha Roundtree, the experts behind The Brand Amplifiers. Titled "The art of pricing and how to charge what you're worth and still attract customers", the presentation delved into overcoming the common challenge many entrepreneurs face when discussing pricing with clients. The Roundtrees shared powerful stories and practical frameworks to demonstrate that pricing is less about cost or time and more about perceived value, positioning, and attracting the right audience, enabling businesses to increase revenue without scaring off ideal customers.

Outline
• Introduction to the session by Katie Davis from Verizon Small Business Digital Ready.
• Welcome and setting the stage by Warrick and Teesha Roundtree.
• Addressing nervousness around discussing pricing.
• Sharing a personal story about a garage sale and undervaluing an item.
• The realization that price must match perceived value for trust.
• Sharing the story of their daughter, Sierra, becoming a professional DJ and the journey of repositioning her services.
• Introducing The Brand Amplifiers and their expertise in positioning, pricing, and profit.
• Analyzing the Payless/Plesi pricing prank as a demonstration of perception and value.
• Emphasizing that people buy perception, experience, and transformation, not just products.
• Interactive exercise: Using AI (like ChatGPT) to refine brand positioning.
• Defining audience, problem solved, offering, and transformation for the AI prompt.
• Examples of the AI prompt, including for The Brand Amplifiers and a brand called Cologne Butter.
• Pricing Framework: Price based on value, not time.
• Discussion on why clients don't care how long something took or how much it cost to produce.
• Comparing Molly (charging by hour) and Rose (valuing outcome) in a house cleaning example.
• Addressing audience questions about time-based pricing in businesses like lawn care.
• Analogy of being paid hourly at a 9-to-5 job and how hours don't equal value or verifiable work.
• Pricing Framework: Don't sell to everyone, price for the right ones.
• The importance of niching down to attract clients who expect and are willing to pay more for value.
• The Cologne Butter example demonstrating the impact of targeting a specific mindset (self-care priority).
• Pricing Framework: Don't give them a discount, give them a choice.
• The pitfall of defaulting to a single price or offering discounts too quickly.
• Using the Apple laptop example to illustrate understanding value beyond cost.
• The "Good, Better, Best" pricing model and how choice empowers customers and increases average transaction value.
• Anchoring principle: How people judge price in context.
• Mentioning luxury brands like Porsche also use tiered pricing.
• Sharing resources: A free guide ("11 questions to ask AI to market your business better") and session slides via QR code.
• Final thoughts on positioning and finding a market that celebrates your value.
• Information on asking questions via Instagram QR code.

Notable Quotes
• "If your price doesn't match the perceived value, then people don't trust the offer."
• "It's rarely ever about the price. Even though your client tells you it's about the price..."
• "You'll spend money on what you value, on what you think is important."
• "Trying to be affordable to everyone will keep you broke and burnt out."
• "Positioning is everything people. I mean, it it is 100% % everything."

Key Takeaways
• Your value is in the outcome you create, not the hours you spend or cost of production. Focus on the problem solved and the transformation delivered.
• Positioning is crucial. How you brand and present your offer significantly impacts its perceived value and the price you can command.
• Don't try to sell to everyone; identify and target your ideal audience with the right mindset. This allows you to attract clients who value what you do and are willing to pay for it.
• Provide choices with tiered pricing (Good, Better, Best) instead of just a single flat rate or offering discounts. This empowers customers, increases average transaction value, and helps anchor higher prices.
• Leverage tools like AI to help refine your positioning statement and understand how to better market your business.

Resources Mentioned
• Verizon Small Business Digital Ready: A free online learning platform. (Accessible via QR code on postcards).
• Small business owners who are experts in their field: Lead courses on the Digital Ready platform.
• Local and national organizations: Verizon partners extensively with these to expand access to free resources. (Partners can fill out a form via QR code on postcards).
• Notebooks and Pens: Provided at tables for note-taking.
• Postcards with QR codes: Available on tables linking to Digital Ready registration and partner form.
• Instagram post for Q&A: A QR code provided for attendees to ask questions during the session.
• AI Tools (e.g., ChatGPT): Recommended for the interactive positioning exercise.
• Free Guide: "11 questions to ask AI to market your business better": Available via QR code.
• Session Slides: Available via the same QR code as the AI guide, sent via email.

Action Items
• Attendees were encouraged to take notebooks, pens, and postcards.
• Attendees were encouraged to scan the QR codes on the postcards to learn more about Verizon Digital Ready and partnership opportunities.
• Attendees were asked to scan the QR code to access an Instagram post to ask questions during the session.
• Attendees were instructed to take out their phones or laptops and use an AI tool to fill out a specific prompt about their brand, audience, problem solved, offering, and transformation.
• Following the prompt, attendees were instructed to ask the AI how they could better position their offer to charge more without scaring off ideal clients.
• Attendees were encouraged to get the free guide ("11 questions to ask AI") and the session slides by scanning the QR code provided.