Let’s get something out of the way. I’ll shout it from the rooftops if you’d like. You might not like it, but it’s true.
You’re probably undercharging.
Not because you’re trying to be the cheapest or because you don’t do good work, but because you think that winning every job means you’re succeeding. The truth is, that mindset might be the very thing holding your business back, and I get it especially for those of you in the early phases of your business, you have to win jobs to pay the bills and when leads and estimates are in short supply you need to make the most of what you have.
Real Talk From the Field
One of our long-term clients, a solo operator in a very niche trade, hit this exact wall.
He isn’t just good at what he does. He’s the best in the Southeast. With our help, he dominates Atlanta, most of Georgia, and he has a massive presence in the Southeast. If you’re looking for his service, you’re going to find him. He’s worked for universities, large corporations, government contracts, etc. His online presence crushes his competition: double the reviews, massive authority, and unrivaled expertise.
But success brought a new problem he was drowning in jobs.
He was winning and closing 90% of his calls, doing 12 to 15 jobs a week, working 75+ hours, and letting better leads die in voicemail. Some of you guys are reading this thinking “Well I win 100% of my calls” and that’s the problem…
I meet him for coffee every month, he’s become a good friend over the last 10 years, and one day we were catching up on life and business and he was venting about how he was missing his kid’s school events, thinking about hiring more employees, etc.
I asked him one question:
What if you just doubled your prices?
What Happened Next Was a Game Changer
He did it overnight.
His close rate dropped to 40–50%.
• But guess what? He was still doing 10+ jobs a week.
• Now he was making twice as much while working half as hard.
That single pricing change didn’t just increase profit it reshaped his entire business:
• Higher-end clients who valued his expertise
• More add-on service opportunities
• Better reviews from people who respected his time
• Less price sensitivity more focus on results
“But I Don’t Want to Gouge People…”
We hear this a lot. And it’s valid.
Nobody wants to feel like a crook or be the overpriced jerk in town. But here’s the truth:
If you’re doing great work, showing up on time, and keeping your word you’re not gouging anyone.
Your pricing needs to reflect the reality of your business:
• You pay for marketing
• You cover trucks, insurance, workers comp, and staff
• You invest in your skills, certifications, and customer experience
That all has value. Charge accordingly.
Your Customers Will Tell You What the Market Can Bear
As business owners we have this idea in our heads of what we should charge and what we’re worth, the reality is we don’t get to decide that, the market does.
When I was just starting out, I did a lot of gig work and part time work, hour in dollar out kind of things. One of my first “clients” brought me in to oversee his “Marketing Assistant” he asked me what my hourly rate was and at the time I said “$20/hour” little did I know that the Marketing Assistant I was overseeing was making “$30/hour”. I had no idea what to charge, no idea what the market would bear, no idea what my value to the company was, no idea what to ask for. These days? One on one consulting as a CMO or business coach? It’s more like $500 an hour, and plenty of people pay it, why? Because that $500 results in a 10x return on investment more often than not.
Let’s be clear:
If you raise your prices and no one calls? Too high.
If you raise your prices and your calendar stays full? You just unlocked your next level.
We don’t pick our prices the market does. And if your customers stop booking, they’ll tell you. But if they’re still hiring you after you double your rates, guess what?
You weren’t charging enough to begin with.
The Mindset Shift: Stop Trying to Win Every Job
You’re not Walmart. You’re not in business to win by being the cheapest.
Trying to close every single job isn’t a badge of honor, it’s a recipe for burnout and bankruptcy.
Raise your prices. Lose some jobs.
You cannot be the cheapest in town and scale your business. That’s not an opinion, that’s a reality. One of the first things I tell our clients when they hire us? If you’re not accounting for marketing in your pricing already, you need to add 10% to your estimates from here on out.
Serve fewer, better clients.
Make more money. Deliver more value. Live a better life.
We’re not telling you to price gouge. We’re telling you:
• Stop comparing yourself to “Chuck in a Truck”
• Stop thinking you have to be the cheapest
• Start charging what you’re worth
You’ve invested in your brand, your tools, your team, and your time. Price like it.
Ready to Build a Premium Brand That Commands Premium Prices?
At SteelToe Digital, we help service businesses like yours:
⦁ Build reputation
⦁ Generate qualified leads
⦁ Charge what you’re actually worth
Stop being cheap. Start being profitable.
