5 Ways to Showcase Your Value as a Creative Service Provider
Pricing is one of the most popular topics I get asked about on my podcast Better: The Brand Designer podcast (and one of my favorites to discuss). How much should you charge for your services? What’s fair? What’s going to make the most sense for your budget and family?
This post is inspired by a recent episode—S7E18 to be specific—which is applicable to any type of business owner, not just designers! I highly recommend giving it a listen.
1. Understand your expertise.
Your expertise does not have to be related to a degree, years of experience, or number of clients! Expertise can come from your unique perspective or approach to your craft, your process, your knowledge of your clients’ industries, or your aesthetic or style. Remember: your clients are hiring you because you know more than they do, can execute their project at a higher level, or have a unique set of skills or a unique product that is going to change their lives or businesses.
2. Evaluate the market.
Talking to your audience via social media polls, cold emails, or in-person networking can be incredibly valuable when determining what type of value your audience is looking for. If you’re feeling a bit fuzzy about the market you serve, here are some questions to ask your audience.
- What services are leads asking you for?
- What type of value do they want?
- What is happening in their market?
- What are their goals?
For example, through conversations I’ve had with leads, I learned that the interior design industry took off post-COVID due to everyone staying at home and wanting to redesign their space. This allowed me to directly understand what type of value those leads could gain from working with me (attracting more good-fit clients and raising their room and project minimums).
3. Determine your pricing strategy (flat rate, hourly, value-based) and your offer suite.
In order to determine your pricing, you need to know what type of pricing structure is the best fit for your business and clients, and I recommend having a simple and memorized suite of services. I have a simple notion database that has columns for my offer name, typical timeline, description, type of service, service level (low, mid, top tier), and price range.
4. Communicate your value proposition, or the ROI you provide your clients. This should show up in your marketing!
This is the beauty and power of social proof! I have a section on my website that goes over ROI past clients have actually seen, and I’m able to list it off my heart on discovery calls. A strong and memorable value proposition (part of your brand messaging—something we specialize in at Hello June Creative!) can be the difference between you making that high ticket sale and your lead going with a competitor. Here’s ours:
“We are a boutique brand identity and web design studio with a thing for elevated branding, sophisticated colors, and a refined yet minimalistic approach. We help creative, self-made visionaries discover alignment through branding, elevate their positioning, and attract clients with ease.”
5. Continuously monitor and adjust your pricing for YOUR market. Some questions to ask yourself if you’re unsure if your pricing is a good fit for your market (or if you’re getting a lot of pricing pushback):
- Are clients converting too quickly/are you overbooked? Your pricing might be too low!
- Are you getting lots of consistent pricing pushback? Either your pricing is too high for your specific market, or you’re not clearly communicating the value of your offer.
- Is your clients’ market shifting?
- Are their needs changing?
What works in one season might not work in another. Always be evaluating your offer suite compared to your clients’ goals and needs and revise as needed.
Pricing yourself as a creative entrepreneur can be difficult, but I hope this guide helped you start to position your offer in terms of your value. Trust me, it makes for a much easier sales process!
You can listen to me talk through these points on my podcast episode here, and I would love a DM @hellojunecreative if you found this guide helpful or have questions!
